Wanted: Someone Who Cares
by Space Chick
Summary: Thad Merquise is the oldest of all the Gundam pilot children. He is also a single father and devotes all his energy and time to his son, leaving little room for anything else. But on one afternoon, he meets a woman that could finally change his mind.
1. A Musical Match

_Disclaimer: I don't own them except for the kids!_

Wanted: Someone, Who Cares, Part 1 

**__**

"No, Dylan."

The little boy passed him a look and continued to leave cookie crumbs on the table, smiling all the way. 

"I swear, you're going to be the death of me," Thad sighed as he picked his son up from the counter on which he had left him while he made his lunch. "This is not going to make the cook happy. Grandmom won't like it either, pal," he said as he regarded his son with icy blue eyes. Those same eyes blinked back at him with another chocolaty smile. A defeated breath escaped his lips and let his head drop back on his shoulders. "How did this ever happen to me?" sighing again, thinking back to the year before. 

_"Master Thad, a young woman is here to see you?"_

_Thad looked up at the butler curiously. "Who is it, Williamson?"  
  
_

_"A Miss Julia is asking to speak with you in your father's study."_

_With a puzzled look he had followed the butler to his father's study. Once the door was closed behind him, he regarded the woman on the far side of the room. She had been his girlfriend for a short time before she abruptly broke it off and left. Her disappearance had baffled him. "What is it that you want, Julia?" _

_The beauty that had captured Chris Maxwell at sixteen, turned to look at him, her deep brown eyes coming to rest on her last lover. "I came back to give you something," she replied, her voice calm. _

_"I was somewhat curious to why you left, but now you're back and you want to give me something?"_

_"Well, I would think that you would want what I have to give you," she answered as she pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. _

_"I don't think that there's anything more that we have to say to each other and whatever you're offering, I don't want," he said, his voice clipped. _

_"Thad…"  
  
_

_A cry broke through her words. Julia stopped and walked over to the leather loveseat. "Shh, Dylan," she said as she picked up the child in her arms._

_For a moment, his jaw went slack. "Whose Dylan?" he finally asked when he regained his power of speech. _

_"He's my son…and yours."  
  
_

_"WHAT?"  
  
_

_"He's your son, Thad, and that's the truth."_

_"There is no possible way that he could be my child."_

_"Take a look and you'll see that I'm telling the truth."_

_Willing enough to take a look at the child, he walked over to her and glanced down at the little boy wrapped in her arms. His eyes went wide as brilliant crystalline blue eyes, much like his own, stared back at him. Strands of white blond hair swirled on the child's head. He shook his head and took a step back. "No way."_

_"There's every possible way. I was sent away to have him because my parents didn't want others to know about my pregnancy. I came back because I want you to take him from me. He deserves to be with you rather than me. You could give him a much better life than I ever could, Thad. Don't think I'm doing this because I don't care. I do, but I can't take care of him. My parents won't help and I can't hire someone to take care of him during the day."_

_"You didn't tell me that you were pregnant. You didn't deign to tell me that you gave birth to my child. And now, you're coming back here to hand him off to me because your parents won't help you and you can't find someone to take care of him? Why the hell didn't you tell me this?"_

_"Because I didn't," Julia replied, a trifle indignant as she rocked the child in her arms. "I was a little scared and I didn't know what to do. I knew you would be mad, and my parents made it obvious that I either get rid of the child, or be sent away to have him. Of course I chose that one, but the stipulation to that was that I would have to give him to you once he was old enough to be without me." She gave him an imploring smile. "Come on, Thad. He's your son. You can give him what I can't. I want the best for him and you're what's best."_

_Thad looked back down at the reflection of his own eyes again. The little boy looked very much like he had at that age. With a tentative finger, he reached out and stroked the cheek of his son. His son's tiny hands caught onto it and didn't let go. He didn't tug it away, but stared with wonder. "He has a good grip," he said._

_Julia smiled a bit. "I named him Dylan Peacecraft Merquise. You approve?"_

_"A good name," Thad replied as he looked back up at her. "So, you have to give him up? Is there anything I need to sign?"_

_"No. I put your name down as his primary caretaker once I relinquished him to you. I really hate to do this to you, Thad, but this is the way it has to be."_

Thad was pulled out of his thoughts when a sticky hand smacked against his face. Opening his eyes, he turned and looked back at Dylan. "That was not necessary."

A gleeful smile spread across Dylan's face as he shook his head affirmatively. 

Rolling his eyes, he walked over to the kitchen table where he had put his lunch. He set his son in the high chair next to him and handed him a butter cookie to nibble on. "I don't think you'll make too much of a mess with this one. It's the soft variety made by Auntie Relena. It's the one thing she doesn't burn."

That statement earned a squeal of laughter from the platinum haired child as he began gnawing on the soft treat.

He couldn't help but laugh as his son happily gnawed on the cookie. He ruffled his son's hair before he picked up the sandwich he had just made. He kept one eye on his son while he ate. He was home on his lunch break. It was something he did everyday. His mother was at home for the most part and delighted in taking care of her first grandchild. He washed his sandwich down with a glass of soda before he picked up the plate and placed it in the dishwasher. He stuffed a chocolate cookie between his teeth as he set upon cleaning up his son's mess on the counter. 

"It never ceases to shock me when you clean," Noin laughed as she came into the kitchen. She immediately went over to her grandson and picked up him. She took him over to the sink to wipe off his cookie-crumbed face. She glanced back at her son. 

"Well, I don't think Missus Czek would like her kitchen a mess," he replied as he finally swallowed the last of the cookie. He put the dishtowel back on the edge of the sink. 

"I don't think I would either," she replied as she turned to look at him, Dylan resting on her hip. She quirked a brow at her oldest child. "You missed a spot, Thad."

"Huh? Where?" he asked, his brows drawing down as he looked at the counter.   
  


"Around your mouth," Noin chuckled as she shook her head. 

Thad smiled a little as he wiped his mouth with his fingers. "Thanks, mom."

"No problem. Don't want you going to work with chocolate on your face."

He glanced down at his watch. "Which I should be leaving for right now." He pressed a kiss on his mother's cheek before trailing a hand over his son's fair hair. "Be good for Grandmom, all right, Dylan?"

Dylan nodded his head, a hundred watt smile, much like his father's lighting up his face. 

"He's always good besides being a little mischievous like you," Noin said with a smile on her face.  

Grinning, he pressed a kiss on the child's nose. "That's my boy. If you're good, I bring something back for you later. Bye, mom," he called out as he left the room. 

She sighed as she shifted her grandson to her other hip. Her son tried so hard to be a good father. It was a burden on him to be a single parent at twenty-eight years old, but he did well. She only wished that he had someone to be with, but he never had the time for that. He was either at work or spending all his time with Dylan. Shaking her head, she left the room. She was a mother and only wanted the best for her children. 

******************************************************************************

Thad trailed his fingers over the keys of the piano in the recording studio in which he worked. "Record," he called out, the mini disc he had set to record in the other room, beginning to turn. He began to play a piece that he had written the night before, while watching his son sleep. He played it through first, mentally taking note of places to change chords. "Stop," he called out when he finally finished playing. He took the pencil that he had stuck behind his ear and started making changes to the places that he had mapped out in his mind. He heard a tapping on the glass from the other room, causing him to look up. It was Vaughn and beside him was woman with long straight hair. Pushing himself away from the piano, he walked back into the other room. "What brings you here, Winner?"

Vaughn grinned. "I would like you to meet my third cousin, Penelope Winner. She's the daughter of my dad's cousin, Eric."

"Nice to meet you, Penelope," he replied as he nodded his head.   
  


"Call me Penny. Penelope sounds way too formal," Penny said, smiling. 

Thad smiled back. He looked back at Vaughn. "So, what does bring you here?"

"Penny does. She's a musician. Piano, guitar, and writes a bit on the side. She's visiting for a while and I thought she could meet up with you. She could use the time in a studio," Vaughn replied as he tilted his head in her direction. 

Thad looked back at her. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen. I just went through my first year at Julliard, but I'm taking a semester off. I need to have some time to myself and just write and improve."

Vaughn snorted. "Improve my ass. You're playing rocks and hardly needs to be improved upon."

Penny laughed. "Well, you should know how hard artists are on themselves. What sounds like my best to you, is not always what's best for me."

Thad smiled at the banter between the two cousins. "I don't mind helping you out. My time is entirely free today," he said to Penny as he looked back at her. He looked back at Vaughn. "Don't you have to go to work today?"

Vaughn laced his fingers behind his head. "Yeah, I figured I put in some overtime since Ver went back to school yesterday. It's barely been twenty four hours and I miss her already."

Grinning at the young blonde's soulful tone, he shook his head. "And you two haven't even been together for three weeks and you're already missing her."

"You're cousin is a special woman," Vaughn replied, smiling back. He glanced at his watch. "Well it's time for me to go. Paperwork to finish and phone calls to make," he said as he pecked Penny on the cheek and gave Thad another smile. "Be ready to be blown away by her talent," he called out as he left the room. 

Thad chuckled and turned back to Penny. He was almost startled to see how green her eyes were. They were like the bright buds on trees when they regained their leaves. He also realized that she stood a little bit taller than his mother and his sister. Her long straight hair fell to her waist. It was the color of rich caramel. Smiling slightly, he offered her a chair. "So, you attend Julliard?"

Penny nodded her head, sending some of her long bangs across the side of her face as she sat down. "It was the only place I ever wanted to go. I've always loved music and I was accepted there on a full scholarship," she replied as she crossed her ankles. It drew the material of her knee length cord skirt tight across her legs. She glanced around before returning her eyes to him. "And is this all you ever wanted to do?"  
  


Shrugging, he sat down in the chair across from her. "More or less. I have an ear for music, or so I've been told. My family is much like the Winners and the Bartons, more musical than athletic. That title belongs to the Yuys, Maxwells, and the Changs. But I did play soccer. We all did." His eyes met hers. "What exactly are your plans while you're here?"  
  


She tugged the sleeves of her denim jacket over her wrists. "My plans are to improve. Vaughn exaggerated my talents a little. I need to learn to write better, but I welcome help on anything you offer," she said with a soft smile. 

His brain froze for a moment as she smiled at him. That smile was luminous. It made her eyes sparkle behind her slender gold wire glasses. Mentally shaking himself, he grinned at her. "I'll do anything I can to help you, Penny. I'm at your disposal."

Smiling again, she laughed as she pushed her hair behind her ear. "Thank you."

"It's no problem. Shall we start?"  
  


She nodded and pulled out the music in the black leather satchel resting on her lap. 

Two hours later…

Penny scrunched up her nose as she tilted her head to one side, looking at the notes that Thad had written down for her. She was sitting alone in the studio, while he went to get them some food. The sleeves of her green plaid button shirt were rolled up to her elbows, revealing a simple leather watch on her right wrist, and a braided leather bracelet on her left. Crossing her booted feet again, she hummed the notes that he had written. "I can't believe he made that sound even better," she said, amazed as she picked up her guitar and strummed them out. She loved music. It was her passion, since she had never shown much interest in sports. Indoor soccer was her only foray into the athletic world, unlike her older sister, Cherise, and younger brother, Andrew. Their parents had never pushed her into doing any activity that she didn't like and they encouraged her dream of music. 

She started to hum again, getting a feel for the sound of her voice and the guitar together. Once she was satisfied, she smiled as she put the instrument down, and stood up. Standing and stretching her arms over her head, she wandered around the studio, thinking of Thad. _"He's very different from many of the guys I know, but than again, many of the guys I know are around my age. He's nine years older than me, although he has a seriousness about him that you don't usually see in men his age," _she thought as she sat down at the piano. Running her fingers over the keys, she started playing some Mozart, one of her favorite composers. She didn't hear Thad come back in. 

Pausing for a moment, he stopped and watched her as she played. Her eyes were closed as her fingers flew over the keys. The bright light shining over the piano brought out the freckles that dusted across her nose and cheeks. She wasn't the kind of girl that he was used to, or rather like any of the girls he had watched grow up. There was maturity about her, very calm and collected. Her entire demeanor was fresh and very unspoiled, similar to Isabella's, but yet she was much more down to earth and not as vivacious. He saw nothing wrong with that. Serenity seemed to suit her. And she was not hung up on her looks even though he was sure her clothes were expensive. Simple and comfortable, which made the motto, the typical All American Girl come to mind. _"Definitely not like any girl I know. She's very pretty though, with those eyes and that smile…damn that smile could light up an entire room," _he thought as he set down the bags of food he had gotten from the diner down the street. 

He continued to listen, not wanting to disturb her playing. _"Vaughn didn't exaggerate her talent at all. She has extraordinary skill and talent. A little rough around the edges with the writing, but she will definitely go far with a little push." _He recognized the ending of the piece she was playing. "That was amazing," he said as he walked over and sat down on the piano bench next to her. 

A little startled by his appearance, she shook her head. "It was nothing. Mozart brings me piece of mind. It inspires me actually, but I don't think I play him better than anyone else," she admitted, pushing strands of her long hair away from her face. 

"I couldn't play that piece quite as well as you and I was started on lessons when I was five years old. The only person who plays almost as well as you is Damien. He has a knack for the piano," Thad stated as he caught a whiff of coconut when she pushed her hair over her shoulder. He pulled the pad of paper off the top and handed it to her. "This is what I was writing when Vaughn and you came in."  
  


Penny's eyes scanned the several pages of music "Wow. This looks like this will be a beautiful piece," she said, amazed as she looked back into those crystal blue eyes of his. 

"I thought of it last night before I finally fell asleep. Thinking of music usually helps me. I started working on it this morning when I came in. It's not finished yet."

"Not finished?" she said, somewhat shocked. She looked back down onto the written notes again. Lifting her fingers to the keyboard again, she played the first few bars of it. The lilting melody made chills go up her back. "That sounds wonderful so far," she murmured. "Is it for anyone special?"

"My son, Dylan. I was watching him when I thought of this."

"You're son? You're married?"

Thad shook his head. "No, not married. Just a dad. Dylan's a year and a half. I guess I kind of wrote it to mimic his personality," he explained with a soft laugh as he looked down at the music in her lap. 

There was a note of sadness in his voice when he mentioned that he was only a father. It surprised her that someone like him would not have a woman waiting at home for him since he seemed like the type that knew women. "Your son means everything to you, doesn't he?"

"Everything," he sighed as he played a few notes of the song. He looked back up at her. His reflection was imposed on her glasses. There was a look in her eyes that told him she was someone he could talk to. He rarely divulged this much information about himself to someone he had just met, but he knew she would always be there to listen to him. Smiling at her, he flipped to the last page of written music. "I'd like to know what you think of this part?" he asked as he played the last bar of music. "I want it to flow nice and smooth in this part before I go to the interlude."

Penny tilted her head to one side. "You want help on this?"

"Sure, why not? I'm open to any suggestions that you have."

"Ok, well I think that this note should be changed to this," she said as she tugged the pencil from behind her ear and wrote the new note on the page, "Before you have it go into the interlude," she said as rolled her lips inwards for a minute as she continued to write. "And how did you want the interlude to go?"

"Something like this," Thad said as he started playing it on the piano. 

Penny tapped the pencil to the beat of the music. "I like that. It goes good with this last bar. Or you could do something like this…" she suggested as she put down the papers and started playing a version similar to his. 

He smiled. "I like that. So let's write down both versions so when I play the rest of it, I can hear how it sounds."

"All right," she agreed, returning his bright smile. 

Midnight…

Thad looked over at her as he hid a yawn behind his hand. She had pulled back her hair into a ponytail a few hours back, showing off the smooth slenderness of her neck. Her head was resting on top of her arms as she sat at the piano. Glancing at the clock on the far wall, he was surprised by how late it was. He walked over to the bench and sat down again. Staring at her face for a moment, he couldn't resist the sudden impulse to touch her cheek with his finger. Warm and soft. The glasses she wore were tilted to the one side since she hadn't bothered to take them off. Knowing that he had to get home to his son, he gently rested a hand on her shoulder and shook her. "Penny," he whispered, "You have to wake up now."

Penny frowned and burrowed her head deeper into her arms. It caused her glasses to become more awry. "Sleep," she mumbled. 

"Sleep does sound good, but I don't think you want to on a piano."

Frowning with her eyes still closed, she raised her head a little above the circle of her arms. Her eyes peeked open to look up at him. "Why? How late is it?"

"Midnight," he replied, amused by the way her eyes suddenly popped wide open. 

  
"Midnight! Oh wow, I really should be going back to my cousin's house. They're probably wondering where I am right now," Penny said as she sat up. She blinked her eyes a few times to rid them of sleepiness and focus them on him. She could feel the warmth of his hand on her shoulder. "And you should get home for your son."

"My mother would've put him to bed already in her room. He's fine to sleep there for the night. I don't mind too much," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. The material of her shirt felt soft under his palm and he could feel the heat of her skin. "It's late though and I need sleep just as much as you do," he said as he stood up, removing his hand from her, but offered it to her. 

Taking his proffered hand, she stood up. She wobbled on her feet for a moment as blood rushed to her head. There was strength in his grip and by looking at him; she wouldn't have thought he was a musician. He had an athlete's build, tall and muscular, but she had watched how his fingers had flitted over the keys of the piano. They were powerful and light at the same time, and for some strange reason it made her stomach do flip-flops. Shaking her head, she smiled at him. "Well I hope we can do more of this soon," she said as he assisted her with her jacket. 

"I'm free tomorrow if you like. My schedule is clear for the next week or so. I can come by to your cousin's home and pick you up, if you like," Thad said as he switched off the lights overhead, shrouding them in the warm yellow glow of the studio lights that would remain on all night. 

"That would be wonderful," she exclaimed as she followed him out of the room. She replaced her guitar in its case and gathered up some of her papers, sliding them into her satchel. She was surprised when he took the case from her and carried it along with his slim black leather satchel, similar to hers. "Thank you," she said as she fell into step beside him. 

Looking at her out of the corner of his eye, he smiled. "No problem." He locked the doors securely behind him as they walked out into the parking lot. There was no moon tonight, so the only illumination came from the yellow toned lights from the side of the building. The silvery charcoal of his Volvo S100 gleamed in their light as he hit the remote on his key chain to pop the trunk. After he put her things and his in the back, he opened her door for her. 

With a grateful smile, she slid into the soft leathery interior. She pushed her glasses further back on her nose as he started the car. He smiled at her once before putting his hand on the back of her seat as he turned his head to pull out. Once he left the parking lot, she covertly studied him some more from under her lowered lashes. His hair barely brushed the tops of his ears and his bangs glanced his forehead in a rakish manner. His strong features gave him an aristocratic air. She knew him to be of royal blood by the way of Vaughn. _"He doesn't even act like the typical aristos that I know. Especially if they're between his age and mine. Spoiled, pampered, and look down their nose at everybody. They think their wealth allows them to be shallow and ignorant. But Thad…he knows of the station he was born into, yet the money he has not at all corrupts him. And him being a single father must be especially hard on him. I wonder why he's not with the mother?" _she thought with a soft sigh as she returned her eyes to the front. 

Thad had been aware of her covert look, as he had been driving since he was studying her as well. There was something about her that made him want to keep on looking at her. She wasn't the type of girl that usually attracted him, but that wholesome, down to earth personality caught his attention. _"She's pretty, but she doesn't seem to be concerned with her looks. Her interest lies in her music. Kind of puts me in the mind of Victoria, but without that volatile temper. Although, I'm sure with the passion she has for her music, she wouldn't hesitate to give someone a piece of her mind, although she doesn't seem like the type to raise her voice. A look from those eyes of hers would be enough."_ Finally reaching the Winner home, he got out of the car and opened the door for her. "You think the others are still awake?" he asked as he walked to the door with her. 

She took her things from his hand and set them by her feet as she pulled out the key for the front door. "I don't know, Vaughn, maybe. He's the only one that I can think of," she replied as the door swung open silently. She smiled into his face. "It was such a pleasure working with you. It's nice to meet someone with the same kind of love for music. I had a wonderful time."

He returned her smile as he grasped onto her slender hand. "It was no problem. I liked working with you too. It's been some time since I've met someone who's liked music as much as I do. I am definitely looking forward to tomorrow." His fingers absently stroked the back of her hand. 

Her heart tripped as he smiled at her, but it was more than just the curving of his mouth. She could see it his eyes too. _"That smile of his could disarm anything." _"Me too," she said as tingles began to radiate from his warm touch. "Well…I should go in. Thank you again."

Not even thinking of what he was doing, he raised her hand and kissed the back of it. He looked up at her and saw the surprised look in the depths of her eyes. He gave her a slight grin. "I was taught good manners when saying good night to a lady."

Her heart leapt again and she could feel a heat rising to the surface of her skin. "It's all right."

"I'll pick you up at nine, is that all right?" he asked, trying not to berate himself for his actions. 

"It's fine, good night, Thad," Penny said as she slid her hand from his possession and picked up her things. She looked at him over her shoulder once before she closed the door. "It was very nice of you." The door clicked shut as he smiled again. Picking up her things, she made her way up the curving staircase and down the hall to the room she was staying in. 

"You like him, don't you?"

She turned around and saw Vaughn standing there with a smirk. "Do those empathic abilities ever get you into trouble?"

"Yeah, but it hasn't stopped me," Vaughn replied with a shrug. "But you do like him."

"Yes, I do. I enjoyed his company…I think he enjoyed mine too," she replied, wistfully. 

_"Oh, he did, a lot, believe me." _ "Who wouldn't enjoy the company of a beautiful woman?"

Rolling her eyes she opened the door and propped her shoulder against the frame. "I think he was more interested in my talent than my looks."

"Mmm…and you do like him. For his talent…and looks," he drawled. 

She shook her head again. "You're being silly."

"Am I?"

"I have someone at home," she replied as she twisted a promise ring around her left ring finger. 

"Doesn't mean you can't be attracted."

"Vaughn, I have Anthony. I enjoyed spending time with Thad and hearing about his son."

Vaughn's brow quirked. "He told you about Dylan?"

"Yes. He sounds like a sweet little boy."

His mind raced. Thad didn't tell anyone about his son until he knew him or her better. And especially not a woman he'd just met. "That he is," he replied before stretching his arms over his head. "Well I best get to bed. Busy day tomorrow. Sleep well, Penny."

"Good night, Vaughn," Penny said before she closed the door behind her. She twisted the ring on her finger again and frowned. "I enjoyed his company. That was it," she told herself, but as she finally crawled into bed, the image that flickered through her consciousness was Thad's brilliant smile. 

******************************************************************************

Thad walked through the silent house, making his way up to the third floor, which he and his brother inhabited. A door slammed and Quatrina stalked out of his brother's quarters down the hall. He watched as she walked past him with an upset look on her face as she went down the steps. He peered into his brother's room and found him on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. Raising a brow, he knocked on the doorframe. "Zach?"

The raven-haired man tilted his head back and regarded his older brother through the same icy blue eyes. "What?"

"What's the matter with the wife to be?"

A grim look crossed Zach's face. "She's mad at me. Upset with me…take your pick."  
  


"I won't bother to ask since you don't look like you want to talk about it," said Thad as he entered the room and sat down on a chair, diagonal from the couch. "She's been flying off the handle a lot lately, hasn't she?"

"Ever since she witnessed Damien and his little red head in bed, she's been edgier and a little more…"  
  


"Frigid," Thad supplied. 

Zach shot his brother a nasty glare. "She's not frigid…she's…"

"Being even more zealous about the promiscuity of a certain bunch of twenty year old women that we were old enough to baby sit."  
  


Zach frowned. "No. I'm not quite sure what it is. I know something is bothering her, but she won't tell me what," he sighed, defeated. He shook his head, shaking it off. "But what are you doing home so late. Mom took Dylan to her room to sleep since you weren't home?"

"I was at the studio with the Winners' American cousin, Penny. She's into music, so Vaughn introduced us."

A smile finally crossed Zach's mouth. "Is she pretty?"

"She's talented."

"She's cute, isn't she? You just don't want to say so since you swore off women since you had Dylan," Zach responded, propping his elbows on his knees. "Well, is she?"

It was Thad's turn to frown. "She wears a promise ring. She belongs to someone else."  
  


Zach arched a brow. "And how do you know that?"

"I could see the ring on her finger, Zach."

"Is that so?"

"You're being provoking, little brother," Thad growled. 

Zach flashed him an unrepentant grin. "All I'm saying is that you took the time to notice her because it sounds like she didn't tell you or show you the ring. So what does she look like?"

"You just don't quit, do you?" 

"No, but all I asked you was she pretty earlier and you didn't answer. You said she was promised to someone else, which means you did find her attractive, but you're avoiding the question because you don't want to let anyone know that you think she is. So, there is no harm in telling me what she looks like."  
  


Thad growled again. "I don't remember."

"Bullshit, you remember perfectly. I bet she looks like that model sister of hers, Cherise Winner. Tall, light brown hair, soft brown eyes, lush lips, and a body to die for."

Thad snapped. "No! Her eyes are green, not brown!"  
  


Zach smiled smugly. "So you did notice."

It caused the face of the oldest Merquise brother turn a flushed angry red. "You're a nosy pain in the ass," he snapped before he stood and stalked out of the room. He ground his teeth together as he walked into his suite of rooms. He walked into the bedroom before slumping into bed. "That was not what I was doing. He was baiting me and I fell for it," he muttered under his breath as he stared at the ceiling. "Penny is someone else's girl. She's pretty, but I'm not interested in her for her looks. She's a musician like me. That's all we have in common," he said to himself, but even when he spoke the words allowed, he didn't really believe them.  

_A/N: Like it? Please review! XOXO!!_


	2. Lunchtime Attraction

_Disclaimer: I don't own them except for the kids!_

Wanted: Someone Who Cares, Part 2 

**__**

Thad knocked on the front door if the Winner home the next morning. He laced his fingers behind his head as he waited for it to open. He smiled when it did. "Hello, Penny. I didn't expect you to open the door. But I must say, you look more inviting then Reshid."

A flush tinted her cheeks as she let him in the house. "I was waiting for you. I saw your car pull up," she replied as she shut the door behind him. "I have to tell Quatre that I'll be out today."

"I'll come with you since there's always good food at the Winner's breakfast table. I'll just snag a muffin," he said as he followed her down the hall towards the back of the house. He watched as her loose braid swung back and forth across the brown suede shirt she wore. He thought back to his brother's words from the night before. He had noticed her prettiness, but didn't want to admit it to himself. He sighed as he followed her into the sunny breakfast room. 

His teasing remark caused the pink stain on her cheeks to remain. She avoided Vaughn's watchful eyes as she went over to Quatre. "I'm going with Thad to the studio. I might be late…again."

"That's all right, dear," Quatre said, smiling as he patted his young second cousin's hand. He glanced over at Thad, who was picking up one of the muffins from the sideboard. "Thad, I'm trusting you to take good care of her while she's with you."

"I will," Thad replied as he picked up a second apple cinnamon muffin from the china platter. He smiled at the older man as she walked over to him. "You ready?"

"Yes, let's go. I can't wait to get started," she answered, smiling up at him. 

_"Damn, that smile of hers,"_ he thought as he nodded his head at her. "Well, lets go. Quatre, Vaughn, Cathy," he said giving them a brief smile before they left the room. 

Quatre arched one brow at the oldest Merquise son as he left the room. He had dismissed the feeling last night, but now…he was definitely going to pay attention. He glanced over at his son, who was also watching Penny and Thad with interest. _"So, he's noticed too. I hope he doesn't get himself into trouble…again."_

******************************************************************************

Penny looked up again from the music sheet she was toying with. He was sitting across from her on the other couch. Her gaze flickered down to his hands as he tightened the strings on her guitar. They had caught her attention last night too. Just watching them run along the strings made her insides feel weightless. _"Stop that,"_ she berated herself, her eyes going back to the paper on her lap. She sighed softly as she pushed off her sandals and curled her legs under her and rested the notebook back on her lap.

Glimpsing up at her, he noted the expression on her face as she tapped the pencil against her lips and sighing again. "Going all right over there?" he asked, smiling at her. 

"It's going all right. Writing has always frustrated me a little bit, but I'll be ok," she said, as she gave him a fleeting smile of her own before returning to her work. 

Grinning, Thad shook his head and looked back down at what he was doing. _"She looked cute with that harried look on her face. Her frustration makes her eyes sparkle and her cheeks turn red like they did this morning,"_ he thought, remembering his comment that had made color darken her ivory cheeks. And she had tried to make sure he didn't see it by turning away, but he had, and it brought some satisfaction that he could make her blush so becomingly like that. Keeping his head lowered, he raised his eyes enough to watch her. She was chewing on the end of her pencil and strumming the notebook on her lap. "Need a break?" he asked.

Her head popped up at the sound of his voice. There was an amused look on his face. "I guess. I am a little hungry to tell you the truth."

"No problem. It's two o'clock and I'm pretty hungry as well."

Putting down the notebook on the table between them, she stood up and stretched her arms over her head and rose up on her toes. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. "So where to?"

He almost missed her question since his eyes had unerringly traveled over her body as she arched her back. Her raised arms had caused her shirt to show a ribbon of flesh between it and those low-rise jeans she was wearing. Shaking his head from the momentary distraction, he stood up as well. He hoped she didn't notice his lapse in response. "I usually go home for lunch. Would you like to go there?"

"Sure. I wouldn't mind," she replied as she slid her feet back into her sandals and followed him out of the room. She felt his hand settle on her back as they walked out. The warmth of it made her insides jump and she found that she liked his touch. Too much. _"Stop it! Remember Anthony, the guy that loves you back home! The ring on your finger makes you almost as good as his fiancée!" _her thoughts snapped at her as she slid into the seat of his car. 

Fifteen minutes later…

Thad opened the front door for her, his hand unconsciously coming to rest on her back for the second time. The heat of her skin through the shirt made his pulse go up a notch. _"Will you calm yourself down? Penny is not available! So don't go getting yourself worked up over her! You can have her as a friend and nothing more! Plus, she's too young for you anyway," _his mind nagged him. He pushed open the kitchen door and found his mother, already making Dylan's lunch. "Hi, mom, sorry we're a little late."

"That's all right, dear," Noin replied as she turned around. Her amethyst eyes fell on the girl next to him. 

He noticed the direction of her gaze. "Mom, this is Penny Winner. Penny, this is my mom."

"Nice to meet you Missus Merquise," Penny said, smiling. 

"A pleasure to meet you too, Penny. But please call me Lu. The missus makes me sound too old," Noin said with a laugh as she wiped her hands on the towel and went over and shook the girl's hand. 

Penny smiled. She felt an immediate liking for the older woman. There were few wrinkles over the softly tanned skin and there was vibrancy in those deep amethyst eyes. She caught a movement out of the corner of her eye, realizing that Thad was no longer there, but pulling a little boy out of the high chair. 

Thad walked back over to where she was. "Penny, this is my son, Dylan."

She fell in love with the little boy on sight. "He looks so adorable, Thad. Hello, Dylan. My name is Penny."

Dylan squirmed in his father's arms as he eyed the woman in front of him. The smile on her face and the sound of her gentle voice made him reach out for her. 

She automatically put her arms up when the little cherub practically threw himself into her. 

Thad had not expected it, but used to the way his son gravitated towards the women in the family. However, he hadn't let go completely, trapping his arm between his son and her chest. His eyes caught hers. There was no way he could miss the flush racing up her cheeks. He could feel one of his own coming on as he gently and quickly removed his arm. "Sorry."

"That's all right," said Penny, her face feeling hot from the way his arm and hand had brushed against her. Her nerves were sizzling from the unexpected contact. She looked down at the boy in her arms. "You love to be spontaneous don't you?"

Noin laughed at the scene she just witnessed. "Dylan does that a lot. He likes to be held…especially by women. When he hears a woman's voice, he just goes for it."

"I don't mind at all. He's just too cute," answered Penny as she smiled at him. "You're just too cute to resist."

"Takes after his father in that respect. Thad looked like that when he was that age too."

"Mom," Thad sighed. 

"Oh don't be embarrassed. You were such a sweetheart then, just like you are now, and just like my grandson," she said as she pressed a kiss on Dylan's pale hair. "I got his lunch started on the counter. I'll leave the three of you alone to have lunch. It was nice meeting you, Penny," she said with a smile. 

"Nice to meet you too," she replied as she nodded at the older woman as she left the room. She looked back at Thad, who was trying not to blush over his mother's comments. "Embarrassed?"

"I'm too old to be called a sweetheart," he mumbled, bending his head down a little. 

She laughed as he rolled his eyes at the same time. "It's a mother's job you know. My mom did it with my siblings and me. It's a mother's prerogative."

He sighed again and looked back up at her. Dylan looked right at home in her arms, smiling and cuddling up against her. "What would you like?"

"Oh, I don't know. Whatever you have is fine," she replied as she walked back over to the high chair and put him in. Walking back over to the counter, where he was quickly finishing up the little boy's lunch, she leaned on the opposite side. She watched his bent head as he placed a sandwich cut into several pieces on a plate, plus two chocolate chip cookies. She reached over and took a cookie out of the jar. "These are good. Your mom make them?"

Thad snorted. "No. Hilde Maxwell made them. My mom tends to burn when she bakes."

Penny closed her eyes as she chewed on the decadent snack. "I feel like I'm in heaven."

He glanced up at her and the knife in his hand became motionless. The look of pure ecstasy on her face as she took another bite of the cookie made him remember the last time he saw that kind of look on a woman's face. The blood in his veins throbbed with remembrance of making love to a woman and that look coming over her face. Julia's face, _"DAMMIT! Why does Penny have to look like that? I have a good idea that she's the kind of girl that is not like THAT! What the hell is wrong with you!"_ he thought harshly as he shook his head to dispel the image of HER with him. To cover up his rioting emotions, he pushed the plate towards her. "Here."

Opening her eyes, she picked up the plate. "I'll make my own lunch," she called over her shoulder as she went over to Dylan and put down the plate. 

He shook his head. "No, I'll make it. Keep an eye on him though."

"All right," she agreed as she turned back to the blond haired angel in front of her. In her mind, she could imagine Thad looking like this as a child._ "And he grew up to be an extremely handsome man."_

Taking a deep breath, he quickly made her lunch and his. He watched her interact with Dylan, smiling as his son took to her so easily. Her soft laughter rang in his ears as she dabbed at the child's nose with a napkin, then she leaned forwards and pressed a kiss on his forehead. _"Little boys have all the luck. Women can never resist them," _he thought with a sigh as he brought over two plates to the table. "I hope you like ham and cheese," he said as he sat down in the chair on the other side of his son. 

"It's my favorite," Penny said as she leaned away from the high chair. She took a bite from the sandwich and glanced up at him as he gazed at his son. There was no mistaking the love in his eyes as he looked at Dylan. She looked away again. "Thad?"

"Yes?"

"I don't mean to pry, but where's his mother?"

"She left me."

"Left you? Were you married to her?"

"No, she was my girlfriend for awhile. She up and left one day without a word to me…and I didn't see her for about ten, eleven months. In that time, she gave birth to him…came back and told me to give him the life he deserved because she couldn't."

Penny raised her eyes to him. He was leaning back in his chair and staring out the window. She looked away again. "I see."

"It wasn't like she couldn't afford to. She came from a fairly well off family, but she had been involved with plenty of guys…and there were a lot of stories about her flying around. Her parents didn't want more talk so they sent her away to have Dylan. When she came back, she had to give him up," Thad replied as he turned his head to look at her. "Julia gave me full custody."  
  


Meeting his eyes with hers, she raked her teeth over her lower lip. "Did you love her?"

He closed his eyes for a moment, blocking out the intenseness of hers before opening them again. "I loved her."

"Did she love you?"

"No."

"No?"

"I was as much a prize to her as Chris Maxwell was. It rankled her that my cousin up and married him, but he fooled around with Julia too. Fact of the matter was it was him that took her virginity in the first place. He tended to go after the vestal virgins. However, she did like me well enough, cared about me, but she didn't love me," he replied, staring into her eyes, sinking into the green depths in front of him. "So, once the initial shock of having a child seeped in, I took great pride on being as good a father as I can be. My dad told me to be better than him…and I'm trying. He didn't know of my existence until I was more than a year old since he had been proclaimed "dead." When he came back, he took responsibility and married my mom, but not just for me, because he loved my mom, he just never told her that at the time. And Dylan has so much energy; I don't have time for much else. He's the most important thing to me." He was leaning his elbows on the table, losing himself even more in the glowing green of her eyes. 

She didn't know what to say. She didn't even think there were words. Those ice blue eyes were boring into hers. Smiling, she reached across the table and covered his hands with hers. "And you look like you're doing a wonderful job."

The comforting touch of her hands on his brought him out of his trance. Her skin felt so soft and smooth on his. He turned his hands palm up and grasped onto them, and his mouth quirked up into a slight smile. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For listening. I don't usually talk to very many people about this."

A gentle smile touched her lips. "I'm honored that you shared it with me."

Another smile crossed his lips. His thumbs absently began stroking the sides her hand. 

Her nerves tingled as shafts of heat raced through them, rendering them useless. They blocked her command to pull her hands away from his touch, to stop staring back into those crystalline eyes, to stop wanting him to look at her like he was. The blood in her veins surged, making her body throb all over. Her heart pounded against her ribs. She was sure he could hear it for the room was silent. 

As he rubbed his thumbs against the side of her wrists, he felt the leaping of her pulse under his outstretched fingers. He did let his gaze waver from hers. Strands of her caramel colored hair framed her face, urging him, tempting him to brush them back, and to feel the skin of her cheek against his hand. Petal pink lips were parted ever so slightly, making him feel the need to kiss those tender lips. _"Are you INSANE?" _his mind screamed at him. He ignored it. The feeling felt so right, he didn't care that it was wrong, that she had someone else, but just for a moment, to feel her mouth against his, would be all he'd ever ask for. He grasped her arms a little more as he started to lean forwards. 

_"Oh God, he's going to kiss me and I'm going to allow it. I can't believe this, I have Anthony back home," _she thought,  too helpless to move, but at the same time, not even wanting to move. Her heart felt like it was going to burst. Penny couldn't break away from the intentness of his as he leaned over a little more as she did. 

"This isn't anything important, is it?"

_A/N: I'm getting back into the swing of things by leaving a cliffhanger, so it'll leave you waiting for more! XOXO!!_


	3. A Timely Interruption

Disclaimer: I don't own them except for the kids!  
  
Wanted: Someone Who Cares, Part 3  
  
Thad jerked back into his chair, his eyes coming to glare at his brother leaning against the doorframe. "No," he snapped.  
  
Penny turned her face away and glanced out the window, her cheeks flaming. She pressed her hands against them before lowering them. She looked back at the dark haired man standing by the door. His eyes immediately caught her attention. They were the same clear ice blue of Thad's.  
  
Zach smirked at his brother's hostile look. Shrugging he walked over to the table. "Since my brother is too busy thinking of ways to kill me, I'm Zach, his younger brother," he said, smiling down at her.  
  
She smiled back. "It's nice to meet you, Zach. I'm Penny."  
  
"A pleasure to be sure," he replied as he took her hand from the table and kissed the back of it. He could feel his brother's glare growing malevolent. "Thad told me about you last night when he came home."  
  
"He did?" she asked, looking back over at him. His eyes were narrowed on his brother before they turned back towards her. "You told him about me?"  
  
"He asked me why I came home so late. I told him it was because I was with you," Thad replied, shooting Zach another look before giving her a half smile.  
  
"I can see that he didn't exaggerate. You're just as pretty as he said you were," Zach said with a mischievous grin.  
  
Thad felt like throttling his brother. Zach had always enjoyed mocking him, knowing exactly how much he would let him get away with. He was pushing it. ".Zach."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Could you let go of Penny's hand and come here," he snapped as he stood up and walked out of the kitchen.  
  
Zach raised an amused brow and looked back at Penny. Her eyes were widened at Thad's back. "Don't worry about him, he never likes to be caught doing something he shouldn't. But if I was him, I would try too," he replied, kissing the back of her hand again before releasing it. He turned on his heel and went after his brother.  
  
Penny stood up and brought the hand that he had kissed against her. She could still feel the embarrassed heat on her face. Closing her eyes, she covered her face with her hands. "What did I almost do? I was going to let him kiss me and I didn't want to stop him. I love Anthony. He's always been there by my side since we were kids. He's always loved me and I almost let someone else kiss me," she thought, making her heart clench painfully. With a deep breath, she got herself back under control and turned back towards Dylan, who was watching with wide eyes. "Oh, Dylan, someday, you'll understand. But for now, let's clean up those crumbs on your face," she said with a smile and pushing the incident to the back of her mind.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Thad waited for Zach in their father's study. The clock on the desk ticked softly. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans and looked out of the window towards the side lawn. "You baka! What the hell were you thinking? You almost kissed someone else's girl!" his thoughts yelled at him. He heard the door click shut. Turning he faced Zach, who was leaning against the door. He growled. "What the hell are you trying to do?"  
  
"Why are you so bent out of shape for? I did you a favor by interrupting, didn't I? I mean, you did say she belongs to someone else, didn't you? I saved you for making yourself feel a shit load of guilt, you should thank me instead of thinking of ways to kill me," Zach sighed crossing his arms over his chest. "Or was I wrong, did you want the guilt that would come along with kissing her?"  
  
Snorting, Thad let his fisted hands fall to his sides. "It seemed right at the moment. I do know.that kissing her would have been wrong.she was just listening to me and."  
  
"And her attentiveness and her compassion, couple that with her simple beauty made you act impulsively," the dark haired Merquise supplied. He shook his head. "And you implied last night, there was no attraction. You are a baka."  
  
"WHAT!"  
  
"You. Are. A. Baka."  
  
"And please, tell me why I'm a baka, Zachary?"  
  
"Because you know you are. You're attracted; you just don't want to admit it. That makes you a baka, but at the same time, I can understand why you would be. Penny is unavailable. That ring on her finger says as much, but even I have to admit, she is something to look at. I mean she does have the most incredible green eyes behind those glasses of hers. I barely noticed them once I saw her eyes. One could lose himself. And her skin is smooth and silky too. I realized that when I kissed the back of her hand," said Zach as he laced his fingers behind his head. He disregarded the nasty look his brother was beginning to pin on him. "What are you looking so mad for now?"  
  
"If you didn't have Quat, you would flirt with her in a second, wouldn't you?"  
  
"I flirted with her and I am marrying Quat. I may be taken, but I'm not blind or stupid."  
  
"And what would Quatrina say about that?"  
  
"She's not talking to me or didn't you notice at breakfast this morning? However, if she were, she would slice me into a thousand pieces."  
  
"And yet you'd do it anyway," Thad said as he let the anger drop away. "I suppose I should apologize to her for what I almost did," he said softly.  
  
"She seems like the type that's understanding enough. But if I hadn't come in and interrupted, would you have still kissed her?" Zach asked, arching his brows over his questing ice blue eyes.  
  
Thad looked away, unable to answer.  
  
"I thought as much. Well, I should be going into the office today to see what orders Miss Victoria has for me. More than likely our cousin will give me an earful about a certain someone before getting to the orders. I swear, these past few months she's been under so much stress I'm surprised she hasn't cracked yet. The idiot could try a saint," Zach replied as he opened the door. He paused halfway out and looked back over his shoulder at his pale haired brother. "One word of advice though, Thad. I would watch what you do with Penny. She's a nice girl, not Julia. Remember that if you attempt kissing her again."  
  
He flinched from Zach's last remark. His little brother always knew how to make an impact without trying. He made it easy. "He should've been the blond one since he takes more after dad that I do," he muttered as he looked out the window again. He knew he was more emotional, a little more irrational, like their mother. Sighing, Thad left the study and walked back to the kitchen. He stood there, silent in the door, watching her as she walked back and forth in front of the windows with Dylan. His son was fast asleep in her arms. It made a bitter smile touch his lips before it quickly disappeared. "He usually falls asleep after lunch, but not that quickly."  
  
Penny turned at the sound of his voice. He wasn't looking at her; he was looking at his son in her arms. "When you and your brother left, I cleaned him up before I finished my own lunch. I've only been walking with him the last ten minutes or so." She eyed him as he walked back over to the table and sat down in front of his unfinished sandwich. "Thad?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Did you really tell your brother I was pretty?"  
  
He stared at her back for a moment. "In so many words, yes. I think you're attractive," he replied as he looked back at his lunch. "But you're talent, is extraordinary. And I will do everything I can to help you. I'm sorry for earlier, I let my emotions get the better of me."  
  
She turned around again and looked at him. He wasn't looking at her. Closing her eyes, she walked over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "It's all right, I understand."  
  
Ice blue eyes went up to look into hers. There was a smile on her lips. He smiled as well. "I'm glad that you do," he said softly as he reached up and covered her hand with his. "Why don't you find my mom, so she can take Dylan up to her room for a nap. She'll be in the family room practicing her yoga. I'll be finished in a minute and we can head back to the studio. All right?"  
  
"All right," she said as she felt his hand squeeze hers before pulling away.  
  
He turned his head to watch her leave. Once she was out of the room, he let out a pent up breath and rested his head on the heels of his hands. "She can only be a friend, the sooner you get that through your skull, the better."  
  
Later that night.  
  
On the table between them sat a take out container filled with French fries. Penny took a long sip of her chocolate shake being held by her knees as she sat on the couch. Her eyes were closed as she tilted her head back and rested it against the cushions. One eye peered open as she felt a tap on her forehead. Blue eyes looked down at her, filled with amusement as he dangled her notebook in over her head. "I'm not writing anymore," she said with finality.  
  
"Oh come on, you can't give up yet," teased Thad as her expression grew mutinous. He saw her eyes give the notebook in his hand a baleful glare. "Keep on looking at it like that, the paper will burst into flame."  
  
"That's the whole idea. I just don't have the patience to be a good writer."  
  
"You can do it, come on. Stop hiding in that chocolate shake and write some more."  
  
She gave him a dirty look as he dropped the notebook onto her legs and took the milkshake from between her knees to put it on the table. "You're being a pain, slave driver," she mumbled as she picked up her discarded pencil from the floor. She swung her legs around and grabbed some fries from the table, eating them as she looked down at the papers in her lap.  
  
He grinned when he heard her mutter "slave driver," as he sat down across from her and took a sip out of his fudge brownie milkshake. He picked up the piece he was working on for Dylan and sat down on the floor. He glanced up at her again; this time she was absently sucking the salt off one of her fingers before reaching for another fry. It made his mouth go slightly dry, but his position also gave him a view of the shadows beyond the top button of her shirt. One of his hands fisted on the floor next to him before it relaxed. "It's been way too long since I've been with a woman. I should start thinking about getting a girlfriend so I can get someone else's out of my head," he thought with a quiet sigh.  
  
Every once in a while she felt his gaze on her. She couldn't help but smile though when he had said she was attractive. Most people tended to miss that about her because of her talent. They always heard her before they saw her. The words in front of her blurred for a moment and she covered her yawn with the back of her hand. She could hear the scratching of his pencil on his paper. "Thad?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
"Quarter past ten."  
  
She leaned forwards, propping her elbows on her knees. "How much more do you have to do?"  
  
Thad looked up at her then. "Not too much more. I might have to make some adjustments later on, but I would have to play it first to hear it to make sure. Would you like to hear me play it?"  
  
She shook her head. "Yes." She stood up and followed him into the other room where the piano was. The warmth radiating from his body made her want to slide closer to him on the bench, but she made herself stay where she was.  
  
He ran his fingers over the keys once before starting to play. His eyes were centered on the sheets of paper in front of him, but at the same time the scent of her tickled his nose. The part she had helped him write came up; he had decided to play it the way she had done it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her smile when she realized this.  
  
As the last notes were being played, she found herself sitting closer to him again. There was a lump in her throat and her eyes felt hot. When he had finished playing, she let out a pent up breath. "That was so beautiful, Thad," she said looking into his eyes.  
  
"Thank you. You look like you want to cry," he teased softly as he dared to put his arm around her and give her a brief hug. Her hair felt so silky and smooth against nose and lips, and he could smell the scent of warm coconut.  
  
"I know, but it was so.it just made me want to cry," she said, her voice choked with some laughter and tears from his teasing. "It feels so good to be this close to him. He feels so warm," she thought as she unconsciously pressed herself closer to his side.  
  
Feeling her movement, he held her tighter, all the while, reminding himself that she could only be a friend and nothing more. "So, do you think there has to be any changes?"  
  
Glancing up at him through her lashes, she shook her head. "I wouldn't change a thing about it. It was wonderful. I don't think I could have written such a piece, especially not one that long."  
  
She was starting to feel way too good in his arms and the way she was looking up at him now, made him want to claim her lips with his. "Release her before you do something stupid!" he warned himself, but he didn't let go, deciding to prolong this torture he was putting himself under. He had to learn control around her. It was necessary. "I think you could do something like this. You just need a little more work and.a little more patience," he laughed.  
  
"Very funny," she sniffed as she turned her nose up in the air, but his laughter was infectious, making it burst from her lips as well. She decided to snag a little retribution. "Well at least I can sing."  
  
"Ah, but you haven't heard me sing yet, so."  
  
"So."  
  
"Want me to sing, so you can judge?"  
  
"All right. I would like to hear what your voice sounds like, Thad Merquise."  
  
He sat up and took a deep breath. Turning to face her on the bench, he smiled as he sang out the chorus of one of his favorite songs.  
  
"I don't wanna touch you too much baby  
  
'Cos making love to you might drive me crazy  
  
I know you think that love is the way you make it  
  
So I don't wanna be there when you decide to break it"  
  
Penny stared at him wide eyed. His voice was incredible. The soft rasp in his voice made her skin tingle. "I'm definitely impressed," she replied, her voice oddly breathless and warmth in her cheeks.  
  
Thad grinned at her expression. "I told you I could sing." The lyrics had made color stain her cheeks. "Besides being impressed, what did my voice sound like to you?"  
  
"I don't know how to describe it.it was very.um." she trailed off; having a hard time saying the words that she thought accurately described it. She felt her face get warmer. ".Suggestive," she replied, swallowing, ".and.sexy," she finished, not being able to look him in the face. Heat was flooded her features at an increasing rate. She dared to look up at him again to find him smirking.  
  
"You're not the first one to say so, but you are the first one to blush while saying it," he laughed, chucking her under the chin. His fingers lingered for a moment before he let his hand drop to his side. That blush of hers was endearing. It had been awhile since he made a girl's face go bright with color. "But please don't stop blushing on my account, you look cute while doing it."  
  
She couldn't help but giggle softly from his ribbing. "You certainly like to hand out a lot of compliments."  
  
"Only to ones that deserve it."  
  
"And I do?"  
  
"You're pretty. You're talented. I can't find a thing missing."  
  
There was a gentle look in his eyes when he said that. She smiled again, flustered from her looks being complimented more than her voice and musical ability. "I don't know what to say."  
  
"You don't have to say anything at all, Penny. For only knowing you for two days, I like you a great deal. There's nothing I would want to change about you."  
  
"You're very sweet, Thad."  
  
He ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck. Smiling sheepishly, he met her eyes again. He remembered his brother's words. "One could lose himself in those eyes. And her skin is silky and smooth." Clearing his throat, he turned his head away from her, hoping, she didn't take notice. His eyes fell on his watch. "Why don't we call it a night? I don't want to have you out late two nights in a row."  
  
"All right. I am a little tired," she confessed as she let herself be helped up from her position. The touch of his fingers twined with hers made sparks shoot up and down her back. Following him from the room, they hurriedly cleaned up their impromptu picnic on the table. "I'm ready," she announced as she held up her guitar and hoisted her satchel over her shoulder.  
  
He took her bag from her and placed it on his shoulder with his. "I'll help you get this out to the car. No need for you to carry everything yourself."  
  
She nodded and followed him out into the softly lit parking lot. She dozed lightly on the way back to her cousin's home. Grateful for his help, she faced him in front of the closed door. "I had another wonderful day, Thad."  
  
"I did too. It's nice getting to work with someone like you. It was a pleasure," he replied, his tone warm.  
  
That voice of his, even when he spoke, flowed over her, making her heart race like it did when he sang to her. "Will we do this again tomorrow?" "Absolutely. I'll come by and pick you up again. Good night, Penny," he said as he boldly wrapped his arms around her and gave her a tight hug.  
  
Closing her eyes, she wrapped her arms around him and returned it. "Good night," she whispered.  
  
He leaned away and looked down into her face. The image of kissing her flashed through his brain, but he squelched the urge and settled to pressing a fraternal kiss on her forehead. "Tomorrow then," he said as he let go of her completely and walked down the steps to his car.  
  
Her skin burned where his mouth had touched. She waved as he drove off. Sighing, she opened the door and went it, closing it silently behind her. She lugged her stuff back to her room. And as she started to get ready for bed, she caught the scent of his cologne. Sniffing her shirt, she felt a rush of sensations. But the light caught her ring, bringing her back to sanity. "Remember Anthony," she sighed reluctantly as she finally crawled back into bed.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Thad walked through the silent house, stopping once in his parents' room to retrieve Dylan before going up to the third level. His son cuddled against him, still asleep. It made him smile as he put out a whimpering yawn before he was put down in his room that connected to his. "Good night, my son," he murmured, brushing one hand over the crown of moonlit hair before he went back to his room. The smell of coconuts teased his senses as he shrugged off his blue shirt. "Penny," his thoughts sighed faintly. Climbing into bed, he stared at the ceiling as he laced his fingers behind his head. "As much as you like her, you know you can't. Friends are all you can be. Don't do anything that would jeopardize that," he told the quiet room before he finally drifted off to sleep.  
  
A/N: Here's the next installment. I hope you enjoyed. I couldn't resist using a few lines from Def Leppard's "Love Bites." I love that song so I thought it would be a nice addition to this story. XOXO!! 


	4. The Temptation of Matchmaking

Disclaimer: I don't own them except for the kids!  
  


Wanted: Someone Who Cares, Part 4 

**__**

"He looks happy with her."

"What?"

Noin rolled her eyes at her husband as he looked away from Dylan, who was in his arms. "I'm saying that I've never seen Thad this happy in a long time," she said, nodding over to the corner of the great room, where their son sat with Penny at the piano. 

Zechs cast a look over at his eldest. There was a smile on his face as he talked to the Winner cousin. Even he would have to confess that he hadn't seen his son look that in a long time either. "And I would agree with you."

"It's her, you know. Every time he talks about her his eyes light up and he has her over here constantly to work. Penny has definitely had a wonderful effect on him, don't you think?"

An aristocratic brow raised over one of his ice blue eyes. "She's a delightful girl. And I think I know what you're getting at, Lu, but please elaborate some more."

She ignored his slightly mocking tone at his last statement. "All right, I think it would be nice if he started dating her. She's a lovely girl and I like her for him. And she adores Dylan, which is a big plus. She's musically inclined, very talented, smart…"

"Lu, you don't have to elaborate on the qualities that are obvious. I agree with you on all of those things, but you are forgetting that she is not available."

"She's not engaged."

"Promised is close enough. I thought Zach told us that."

"He did, but he also said that it looked like Thad was already attracted despite that."

"He knows better. And you know he would never go after someone's girlfriend. It's not him. He's just as much like me as Zach is…he just doesn't think so," Zechs sighed as he hefted his grandson to his other arm. The little boy that so resembled Thad and himself as children, didn't stir, but continued to sleep on peacefully. "Although, it doesn't help that she seems to like him very much too."

Noin's own finely arched brows raised over amethyst eyes. "So, you noticed that too, did you? So, why couldn't they be together if she's as attracted to him as he is to her?"

"Because Penny is the type of girl who gives her heart to one man, and one man only. She has already given it to the man she's promised herself to. There won't be any changing her mind, even if…"

"Even if it means passing someone else who could care for her even better? That she could care for more?"

"Exactly," he replied as he glanced over at the couple on the bench. He turned back and smiled at his wife. "In many ways, she very much like you. That's why I wouldn't mind seeing her with him, but at the same time, I know that she won't change her mind. So, please," he said as he stood up, "don't get any match making ideas." He bent down and pressed a kiss on her forehead before leaving the room with his sleeping grandchild. 

She sighed and glanced over at Thad and Penny again. "Doesn't mean I can't hope," she said as she also stood and followed her husband out of the room. 

******************************************************************************

A smile touched Thad's lips as his eyes scanned the page of music that Penny had written. He raised them to hers. "This is going to sound wonderful. Do you have lyrics for it yet?"  
  


Penny shook her head. "No, not yet. What I do have written, isn't finished yet, and I don't think it's that good…"

"I'll be the judge of that. Do you have it with you?"

"Yes, here," she replied as she swung around on the bench and pulled out her notebook. Thumbing through it, she looked for the piece she was currently working on. "It's this one," she said as she handed him the notebook turned to the appropriate page. 

He read the words that she had written down so far. She had beautiful handwriting. Looking up at he again, he smiled at her apprehensive expression. "It looks good to me. You have nothing to worry about, Penny. Didn't I tell you that you could write if you worked hard enough at it?"

She glanced away. "Yes." She felt his fingers on her chin as he turned her face towards him. Those icy blue eyes of his, held hers. A tingling sensation was moving over her skin from his touch. Her heart leapt. 

Knowing if he didn't stop looking into her eyes, he would lose himself and never want to come back. Her skin felt warm under his fingers. "And I meant it. You've come a long way since I first met you."

She was having difficulty breathing. "Well, it's been three months. You're a good teacher."

"Then don't discount your talent. You have the ability. Don't doubt yourself."

A smile touched her lips. "I promise I won't."

That smile looked so inviting, but he reigned in the urge to kiss those pretty pink lips. He let go of her chin. Three months of trying not to want her, to be with her, was driving him crazy. Dylan adored her, his parents liked her, and she got along well with Kellie, and Zach's constant teasing. The only thing that kept them apart was the fact that she belonged to someone else and that someone was named Anthony. And it was too ingrained in him that you didn't steal someone else's girlfriend. You could look and admire, but never touch, never covet. It was a losing battle because he was constantly with her. "That's good to hear. I would like to hear you play, if you don't mind."

Her smile grew brighter. "Sure." She stood and picked up her guitar that had been leaning against the piano. Walking over to one of the couches, she sat down and adjusted it a bit before resting her fingers on it. She felt his warmth as he sat down beside her and the soft brush of his arm as he stretched it behind her. Feeling some heat rise to her cheeks, she kept her head down so he couldn't see. She looked down at the music she had laid on her lap, and began to play. She hummed softly to the tune of the music, completely aware of his eyes on her bent head. It seemed like every time he looked at her or touched her, her heart rate would escalate and she would feel her face get hot. She would have to force herself to remember Anthony. When she finished her piece, she looked up again. He was smiling with approval. "You like the tune?"

"It's wonderful, it'll sound even better once you put words to it," said Thad as he grinned down into her glowing face. Those huge green eyes of hers sparkled from behind her glasses. 

Penny flushed from his praise and her eyes darted away from the directness of his. "I'll get the lyrics I'm working on from the piano."

He couldn't help but watch her walk away. She had slender hips and legs, not to mention a cute rear end. The urge to go and pull her into his arms was tempting, but he squelched that thought by yanking his eyes away from her. He sighed quietly and rested his head in his hands. 

"Dammit."

His head popped up when he heard her voice. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw her holding her left hand in her right. She was pinning a glare at piano bench as she examined her fingers. "You all right there?" he asked, a little shocked because he had never heard a curse word from her lips.

"I'm fine, the lid just closed on me," she replied as she held up her now reddened fingers. She flexed them once, twice, frowning. 

"Here, let me look at it," he said as he rose from his spot on the couch. He grasped her hand in his, looking at it…and enjoying the feel of her hand in his. Her fingers were definitely a brilliant shade of red. "How hard did that fall?"

"Hard enough."

Spreading her fingers out in his, he ran one finger over the top two thirds of her fingers. "Do they hurt a lot?"

"They smart," she replied. _"I wish he wouldn't touch me like that. I can't seem to think when his touch is so gentle and warm," _she thought helplessly. 

Thad raised his eyes to hers, his hand still holding hers. "They don't look too bad. I should have warned you about that piano bench though. It doesn't stay up on it's own. Most of us, in this house, anyways, have had that fall on our unsuspecting fingers. It will hurt for a bit." He absently began rubbing her sore fingers between his hands. 

Her insides liquefied from the massage her hand was receiving. The urge not to pull away was overwhelming. Heat suffused her features. She ducked her head, so he wouldn't notice. 

He noticed. He felt her leaping pulse as his fingers grazed the inside of her wrist. _"Let go right now before you go and do something stupid, Merquise," _his thoughts warned him. But he didn't, he kept her hand in his possession. "Feel better?" he asked, softly. 

Raising her eyes to his, and wishing she hadn't, she mutely nodded her head. Those eyes of his were piercing her with such intensity that they were making her tingle all over. And that voice of his, that smooth sounding, but with a little roughness around the edges, wrapped around her. More heat surged to her face, but she couldn't hide it. She couldn't take her eyes away from him.

"You know…you look cute when you blush like that."

 Not knowing what to say, she raked her teeth over her lips. 

He had the urge to kiss those lips, but instead he raised her injured hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. "Feel better now?" 

She couldn't think, let alone breathe. There was that look in his eyes again, like the time he had almost kissed her. Part of her had wished that he hadn't been stopped. "Y…Yes…it's fine." _"Stop looking at me like that. I wish I could, but I can't," _she thought as she continued to stare back into his eyes. 

_"Release her right now!" _his thoughts screamed at him. His eyes fell to the ring on her finger and then looked back up at her. Reluctant, but knowing he had to; he gave her hand a gentle squeeze before releasing them. "That's good…Maybe we should get back to work," he said as he took a step back. 

"Ok," she replied as she looked away from him. She picked up the papers that she had been getting before she closed her fingers in the bench. When she turned around, she took an involuntary step back when a pair of sapphire and amethyst eyes were centered on Thad and her. "Vaughn?"

"Hello, there, cousin. Didn't mean to interrupt anything important," he replied, his eyes glimmering with amusement. He glanced over at Thad, who was staring back at him. "And how are you doing, Thad?"  
  


Penny flushed and glanced away from her cousin's knowing gaze. Her eyes went to the girl next to him. There was a smirk on her lips and a gleam in her eyes. Her face grew even hotter. 

Veronica shook her head at the girl's embarrassed face. "You must be Penny. I'm Veronica Yuy, your cousin's girlfriend, and Thad's cousin." She walked over to her. "It's a pleasure to get to meet you."

A smile touched Penny's lips as she shook hands with the older girl. She could tell just by looking at her that she was the type of girl that men fought over. "It's nice to meet you too, Veronica. Vaughn talked of nothing else before he left for school."

"I hope it was all good," the golden haired girl said as she made a quick study of the girl in front of her. Those eyes of hers were definitely an attention getter. Her eyes went over to her cousin, who had so far not deigned an answer to Vaughn's question. "Hello, Thad."

Thad gave her a slight smile, while ignoring the look Winner was giving him. "What's the reason you're home?"

"A semester break. I thought I would visit. And Vaughn had to come back to sign some papers. It couldn't have been better timing. I see that you're looking well," said Veronica as her eyes flickered towards Penny then back at her cousin. "Any special reason?"

Thad gave her a warning look, but as usual, she raised a brow and smirked. It was hard to intimidate a Yuy with a look. They were rarely afraid of anything especially family. "None."

"Mmm…" was all Veronica said rolling her eyes. 

The older man glowered. 

Vaughn grinned at Penny. "And how are you doing? I hear that you've been spending a great deal of time with Merquise here."

"It's going well, I'm learning a lot," the green eyed girl replied as she rested her eyes on Thad for a moment before returning them to her jewel eyed cousin. 

Veronica caught the look and smiled. She grabbed onto Penny's hand. "Come on, its lunch time anyway. We'll make the boys some lunch."

Penny had no choice but to be dragged behind the shorter girl to the kitchen. She put her papers down on the counter as Veronica went to the fridge. At loss at what to say, she sat down and ran her hand over the other one that Thad had been holding. 

"He looks happy."

"What?"

"Thad. It's been awhile since I've seen him look like that."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because I could see it in his eyes. The unhappiness even though he would act if everything was ok. And I don't see it anymore. His smile reaches his eyes now…and you're the reason."

The younger girl flushed. "I…"

The blond waved her hand. "Don't make excuses. You're definitely the reason." She gave the green-eyed girl a sidelong glance as she popped two TV dinners in the microwave. "And he's very interested in you too."

She bent her head forwards so her long caramel colored hair hid her heated face again. "I didn't notice."

"There is no use in hiding it. He's attracted to you…just as much as you're attracted to him," smirked Veronica as she bent over the opposite side of the counter and looked into Penny's face. "I have a sixth sense about guys, Penny. My cousin is controlling himself very well considering that you're temptation in one very talented and pretty package. If he didn't have more then ten years of dating experience, he probably would have kissed you, if not more by now."

She pretended she didn't hear what the other girl just said. "I have someone in New York."

The youngest Yuy child shook her head, sending waves of golden hair over her shoulders. "Maybe so, but he's not here, is he? Thad is."

"We're only friends."

"If you're only friends, he wouldn't look like he'd want to kiss you senseless, and you wouldn't look like you wanted him to kiss you."

Hot color flared in Penny's cheeks. She frowned despite it. "Your cousin is helping me, that's all. He's attractive, yes, but we're only friends. He knows about Anthony."

Veronica stood up straight and laced her fingers behind her head. "Say what you like, but I know what Vaughn and I saw." She bent down again and leaned closer to the other girl. "If he hadn't regained his senses, he would've kissed you, and you would've allowed it. You would've kissed him back and enjoyed every minute of it."

The other girl's remark made her slink back in her chair and the look in the sapphire eyes could only be described as wicked.  She looked down at her hands. "Maybe so…but he didn't. Part of me might want him too…but Anthony means everything to me. It would be wrong," she said softly. She raised her eyes. "He's always been there for me. He loves me. And I love him."

The wheels in her Yuy mind turned as she regarded the caramel haired girl in front of her. _"Why does she sound like she has to reaffirm her love to this guy…and yet, she does seem to really love him and she does wear a ring. However, it's only a promise ring, not an engagement ring. She could change her mind if she wants…but would she? I wonder…"_ The smile she inherited from her mother touched her lips. "I'm sorry. If this Anthony is the one you chose that's all you have to say, but you do make my cousin happy. And that's all that matters to me. I tend to come on a little strong at times."

Penny smiled back. "No, that's all right. I understand that him being happy is important. And I like working with him, and I think that working with someone like me, makes him happy."

_"You have no idea, but I'm not giving up any ideas yet," _Veronica thought as the looks she inherited from her mother, hid her calculating Yuy brain. 

******************************************************************************

Thad shot Vaughn a wary look. "What are you staring at with that look on your face?"

Vaughn grinned. "Wouldn't you love to know?"

"Winner, what the hell are you thinking?"

"Oh, nothing. My cousin. You. Attraction."

"Oh, shut up."

"Don't deny it. I'll just read your emotions because you sure as hell wouldn't tell me the truth," the younger man replied with a snort. He grinned again. 

"Pain in the ass, is what you are, empath. You love the knowledge of knowing how others feel so you can pick on them mercilessly," snapped Thad as he narrowed his eyes on the blond in front of him. 

"Please, I've heard that one before. My cousin nearly beat the shit out of me more than once. You like Penny a lot. I knew that the first night she met you. I can feel over distances. I know exactly how she felt about you too."

"I don't care what you felt! She has someone back home! We're friends and that's it!"

"And I'm telling you that she has a crush on you, just as much as you have the hots for her."

An angry flush spread over the older man's face. "I don't have the "hots for her" as you put it! I like her. She's a nice girl."

"Oh, is that right? Then looking like you want to have your hands and mouth all over her is just a figment of my imagination?"

"Yes, it is. So, leave it there, empath!"

"Bullshit. Your emotions are so far out of control I bet Mira could feel them. If you don't want to be read, learn how to control yourself, Merquise. And the way you looked at her when she wasn't looking doesn't justify your answer of just liking her. You're half in love with her," said Vaughn, wagging his finger back and forth. 

Thad growled at the smirking face in front of him. "_Vaughn is such an most annoying obnoxious pain in the ass besides Zach. But he's right, I don't want anyone to know how I feel about Penny, I'll have to conceal my emotions. Especially around the three empaths, Quatre, Vaughn, and Mira." _"I care about her, yes, but we are only friends. It has to remain that way."

The youngest Winner son arched a brow. "So, do you want it to stay that way?"

The taller man reigned in his temper. "You're becoming infuriating, Vaughn. It has to stay that way."

"You'd rather it not, though, wouldn't you? You would take the chance if you had it, wouldn't you? To really hold her in your arms and kiss her."  
  


Thad squeezed his eyes shut and pinched his nose in effort to keep him from strangling the younger man in front of him. "If I say yes, will you shut up and leave me alone?"

"Maybe."

"Dammit, Winner, what do you want me to say? Yes, if I had the chance I would. But there's not going to be a chance. She has Anthony and I have more sense to let it go. I would never take a girl away from some other guy, no matter how I might feel about her. Penny is happy with what she's got, I'm not going to go and ruin it by acting on impulse!"

"You Merquise men really do have that honor thing ingrained, don't you? You'd rather suffer and be understanding, rather then coming out and saying what you really want. Don't be a baka."

"That's what Zach called me too."

"And I agree. Even though, he leaves a lot to be desired in that department as well," sighed Vaughn. He had seen the way Thad looked at Penny, and the way she looked at him. To him, there was no doubt in his mind that they should be together, but there were several drawbacks. Merquises were nobility; the honor and chivalry of their class was born into them whether they realized it or not. Thad wouldn't go after her because of that, being chivalrous where she was concerned. And Penny was a Winner; they put more stock into being proper and love at first sight, and stubbornly clinging to that idea that there would be no one else. They would reject it because it wouldn't be "right." He snorted. 

The other man's silence let Thad look away to the door that connected to the kitchen. He frowned. He would've kissed her moments ago if not for the timely interruption of his cousin and hers. Her nearness was getting to the point of being unbearable, but he was loath to leave her side. He didn't want to miss her smiles, the disgruntled expressions she wore when she was trying to write, or the sound of her beautiful voice gliding over him when she sang. Those were some of the things that made him love her. _"And I do. I do love her, but there's nothing I can do about that." _ "I know you think I'm being an idiot, but her happiness is important to me. It may not be what I want, but it's the way things have to be."

Vaughn sighed and a slight smile touched his lips. "Her happiness is important and if you think staying the way you two are, is going to make her happy, then there's nothing I can say about it. She's family." 

At that time, Veronica and Penny reentered the room, carrying TV dinners on a tray. Thad couldn't help but smile as Penny laughed at something Veronica said to her. "You two were in there for quite some time, what were you talking about?"

"Oh, this and that," replied Veronica as she sat down on the couch across from him. She pulled Vaughn down beside her. "Just girl stuff."  
  


The look on her face was too innocent to be believed. He learned that when a Yuy smiled like that, you'd best be wary. They were too smart for their own good. "And why does that not comfort me any?"

"Because you know me so well," his cousin teased. "You know my looks too well."  
  


Thad snorted. He turned towards Penny, who was sitting next to him. "And would you tell me?"

Penny shook her head. "No, I'm sworn to secrecy. But really, it's nothing you need to know. We just talked about general stuff."

Her innocent smile was something to be believed and her eyes were too expressive for her own good. There was no way she could be lying. "All right, I believe you."

His smile made her insides flip again. "That's nice to hear."

Vaughn glanced at Veronica out of the corner of his eye. She nodded. "So, Penny, has Thad taken you out to dinner yet?" he asked.

"No, he hasn't. We've usually settled on take out because we're working so much."

"Thad, I'm shocked. You're working this poor girl to the bone without taking her somewhere nice for dinner?" asked Veronica, with a smile on her face. 

"She likes the work," Thad mumbled as he gave Veronica a glare. 

"You should really take her out then. I mean, it's only right that she gets to experience the very best the Sanc Kingdom has to offer," the blond needled some more. She chose to ignore her cousin's look. "I think she would like a night to enjoy herself."

Thad frowned. He looked back at Penny. "Would you like to go out to dinner some night?"

"If you don't mind," she replied softly. "You don't have to."

He gave Vaughn and his cousin a pointed look before looking back at her. "I want to. I've been meaning to ask, but I just get caught up in my work."

"Then yes, I would like to go out to dinner with you," she replied, unaware of the triumphant looks that Veronica and Vaughn were wearing. She gave Thad a smile. "I got caught up in all the work too and haven't had a chance to see what this place has to offer."

Veronica tapped her finger against her lips. "You could take her to the restaurant on the top floor of the Graphique Hotel. The one I helped decorate." 

Vaughn swallowed his food in his mouth. "Yeah, Damien says the food is good and there's dancing too. He has relatively fond memories of that place."

"Only because it helped him get Angelina," added Veronica. 

Thad turned back to the young woman at his side. "Would you like to go there?"

"Sounds good to me."

"But don't forget, Thad, we're having that baka brother in law of mine, birthday this weekend. You're dinner date will have to wait another week," the Yuy girl added. She looked over at Penny. "And of course, you're invited. You have to meet the rest of us."

Thad snorted. "And what a night that will be. Be prepared, Penny."

She tilted her head to the side and laughed quietly. "You make it sound like the rest of the lot is something I should be afraid of."

"He's exaggerating," said Vaughn as he gave Penny a grin. 

"I'm not, trust me. Just stay close to me."

Penny laughed again. "All right."

Thad smiled as her laughter made his skin tingle. He caught Vaughn's all knowing gaze and his cousin's smirk. Throwing them both a dirty look, he glanced back at Penny. _"Maybe a night out with the lot of them will help me keep my resolve. It'll be a chance for me and her to relax."_

_A/N: I know this part took some time, but hey, it's here now. Enjoy! XOXO!!_


	5. Obvious Emotions?

Disclaimer: I don't own them except for the kids!  
  


Wanted: Someone Who Cares, Part 5 

**__**

His eyes slid over to her as they made their way to the restaurant/bar that Victoria had secured for Chris's birthday. Her hair was left long, sliding over the shoulders of her chocolate colored corduroy jacket. She wasn't wearing her glasses, giving him a much clearer view of her luminous green eyes. "This is the first time I've seen you without glasses."

Penny turned her head at the sound of Thad's voice. She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a smile. "I didn't feel like wearing them tonight. I thought that I would look better without them since I will be meeting the whole group."

Grinning, he shook his head. "I think you look just as pretty with them as without them. And I know the others will think the same."

She flushed from his compliment and bent her head so he wouldn't see. Despite her protests to his cousin the other day, the blond girl was right. He was attracted to her as much as she was to him. She raised her head and surreptitiously glanced in his direction. His fingers were loosely curled around the steering wheel, like they had been around her hand the other day, although his grip had been stronger. The sensations that his touch had evoked scared her. She never imagined someone's touch making her feel so lightheaded, her heart pound, and making her tingle in places that hadn't done that before. She was used to his casual touches, but sometimes, they lingered longer then a friendly touch should. The way his eyes seemed to look at her every now and then, made her feel breathless. Yet, she couldn't stay away. Thad seemed to understand her so well when it came to her abilities. His fingers moved as he flexed them on the leather. Her stomach did a nervous jump. "What is your cousin's husband like?" she asked, distracting herself from the images her mind were sending her. She had met his cousin, Victoria, and liked her immensely. She was a strong beautiful woman, who probably didn't back down to anyone. She definitely looked like a fighter. 

"Chris? In Victoria's words, "a braided baka who doesn't have enough sense to grow up and take more responsibility for his actions…and remains a lecher despite being a married man." But he's not too bad," he said as he pulled into a parking spot. "Chris is just Chris. Still a flirt, but he adores her like she does him. To them, arguing is a habit since they've been doing it since they were kids.  In a way, Victoria has always been the one to keep him in line, and it's always been in some way his job to be her protector," he said as he came around and helped her out. His fingers lingered over her hand before pulling away. It also seemed natural for him to let his hand rest on the small of her back as she walked He kept his hand there as his cousin's husband walked up to them. "Chris."

"Thad," the younger man returned with a grin. His cobalt eyes fell on the girl next to Thad. "And you must be Penny. Victoria mentioned a Winner cousin charming Thad to no end. You're certainly something to look at. I would be captivated too."

Penny flushed at the bold flattery. He was still holding onto one of her hands. "Pleased to meet you too, Chris. Victoria's mentioned you quite a bit," she said as she gave up trying to tug her hand out of his grasp. 

"I hope it was all good. My wife tends to…exaggerate from time to time," sighed Chris as he cast a look back at Thad, who was glaring at him. "Jealous?" he teased.

"Shut up, Maxwell," he replied as he tugged her hand out of Chris's and put her slightly behind him. "Go flirt with your wife or something before she decides she wants to kill you."

"You know she would never actually kill me," the younger man said, grinning as he laced his fingers behind his head. He shot Penny a smile. "Thad tends to exaggerate about that. Victoria would never actually kill me," he said as he deftly stepped around Thad and grasped her hand again. "You will of course honor me with a dance?"

Penny flushed at his daring, but his smile was infectious as she smiled back. "I guess I could." She glanced at Thad, whose mouth was twitching in a dangerous way. "If Thad wouldn't mind of course," she added as she put a hand on his shoulder. 

His mouth softened at her simple touch. "I don't mind." His gaze slid over to Chris, who was smirking. He leaned closer to the other man. "You even think of anything, I'll kill you if your wife doesn't do it first. Try to remember you're a married man, you ass."

Chris grinned at the warning he was meant to hear. He cast another look at Penny. "Until later then, Penny," he said as he kissed the back of her hand; cast a triumphant look at Thad before going to find his wife. 

Thad growled softly and looked down at Penny. She was blushing. "I told you he was a flirt. He'll never learn and Victoria will kill him. His charm won't save him with her."

"He was very nice. I can see why Victoria loves him, despite the fact that he's a flirt. When he mentions her…you can see how he feels about her in his eyes," she said as she looked up at him. "What did you say to him? I couldn't hear it."

His face colored and he scratched the back of his head. "It was nothing, really. Don't worry about it. Just some advice."

Her brow arched, but she let hand slide down his arm to grasp his hand. She glanced away when he looked at her with surprise. "I was wondering…if you would also like a dance with me instead of me dance with Chris…"

There was no way he could miss the flush creeping across her cheeks. "I would love to dance with you…but you don't have to give up Maxwell's dance…for me." He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it. "Come, let's go find the others."

She felt his grip tighten on her hand. There was no mistaking the possessiveness in his touch and it struck something in her. Her own fingers curled around his as they walked forwards. Tonight was going to be a fun night. 

******************************************************************************

Thad watched her over the rim of his beer bottle as she danced with a bunch of the other girls. She wasn't as showy as some of them when it came to dancing. She had confessed to him earlier that she wasn't that good of a dancer, he was inclined to disagree. Crystalline eyes followed her every movement. 

"She's pretty cute, Merquise."

His eyes shot to Chris, who was sitting across from him. Victoria was sitting on his lap, but she wasn't paying too much attention. Her fingers were clenched around the glass in her hand and there was an angry expression on her face. His eyes narrowed. "What are you getting at?"

"If a pretty girl like that was walking around me, single, I would've snatched her up in seconds. What's your problem?"

"She's taken."

"So I heard. But he's not here right now is he? And by the way you're looking at her…"

Thad ground his teeth together. "I'm not looking at her in any way."

Arching a brow, he leaned his elbow on the table, and leaned forwards. "Now, that's just bullshit. It's so damn obvious that you want her. You can't hide it as much as you try to. If I can tell, how many others can? The blond bombshell known as my sister in law, as well as that empath, know it too."

"I'm not chasing after a taken woman. I know better than that," hissed Thad, glaring. 

"And she seems to have a crush on you. She's a little better at hiding it, but all I had to do when I had my dance with her, was mention your name, and she start blushing like crazy. So, if the feeling is mutual…"

Thad's mouth tightened as Chris let the sentence hang. He stole a glance at her again. She was laughing with the other girls. She looked so happy out there. It made his insides warm. His eyes followed the movements of her hands as she brushed her hair away from her face. She had let it hang free. He liked it that way. The silky straightness flowed carelessly over her shoulders and back, making him want to reach out and let it cascade through his fingers. Or whenever she turned her head, he caught the scent of her shampoo, making him long to lean over and breathe her in. To feel her hair against his face and her skin against his nose and lips. _"He's right you know. She has a crush on me, and if I have trouble hiding it, it's worse for her. And thinking of her skin does not help because all it does is make you want her even more and you know you shouldn't think of a girl that's only a year out of high school that way. She's only a year older then Winners' little sister, and two years older than the Bartons'. She's a child and you're lusting after her," _he thought viciously as his eyes went back to Maxwell's. "She's a little girl, Maxwell, or haven't you noticed. She's nineteen years old. She's happy with who she's already got. I'm too old for her."

"Just because she acts happy with who she has, doesn't mean that she could be just as happy with someone else…and using the age barrier…well that doesn't convince me that you don't want her."

"Shut up, Chris."

Thad looked at Victoria as she finally turned to look at her husband. 

"You have no business in meddling. Stop egging Thad on before he forgets himself and pounds you into the floor. Penny is a delightful girl, but she's someone's girlfriend. It makes her off limits, no matter what. You of all people should know that."

"What difference should that make? You're the one who said that she would be good for him," Chris pointed out as he looked up at her. "He shouldn't be a baka and let the opportunity slip past him."

"What is it with people calling me a baka!"

"Because you are. How many other guys would let this kind of opportunity pass them by? I know I wouldn't," said Chris in a matter of fact tone. "Victoria was with someone else when I got her. I knew it, but it didn't stop me."

"You were set up, there's a difference. And thank God, I'm not you."

"You should just shut up, Chris. This isn't any of your business or anyone else's. While I do admit that Penny would be a good girlfriend for you, Thad, I do respect your wishes about not chasing after her. It's the right thing to do, and believe me…I should've never fallen into bed with this idiot because I only hurt someone else in the process," said Victoria as she leaned over and gave his hand a squeeze. Then she turned and gave her husband a glare. "And you shouldn't be so proud of being a lech!"

Thad rolled his eyes as Chris started to get reamed out by Victoria. Not, wanting to get involved in their marital dispute, he pushed away from the table and went over to the bar. He sat down next to his brother, but he kept his eyes on Penny as she laughed and danced with the other girls. He smiled, but then frowned. His feelings for her were too obvious like his cousin by marriage had pointed out. It was so hard to hide them, when he knew that no other girl made him feel the same way that she did. He motioned for another bottle with his hand, still watching her over the top of it. 

******************************************************************************

Penny turned her head slightly so she could see Thad. He was standing at the bar now, next to his brother. She pushed her hair back over her shoulder as she turned around again. She could swear she had felt his eyes on her before, but he hadn't been looking at her. She sighed. Her dance with Chris had been a little embarrassing. He teased her and made her face feel like it would never return to its normal color, before his wife came over and dragged him away by the braid. He had been teasing her about Thad. "It must be obvious," she said softly so no one else could hear. 

"Here you go."

She looked up as Veronica handed her a glass. "Oh, thank you." She took a sip and then made a face. "What is this?"

"It's called a Long Island Iced Tea," replied Veronica as they sat down at one of the many tables. 

"I shouldn't be drinking this. I'm still underage."

"Not in this country, you're not."

"But I…"

"If you don't finish it, Penny, I'll drink the rest of it."

Still not sure, she glanced down at the drink. "This is pretty strong. Can you finish one of these by yourself?"

"I have before. Just as long as you ate something beforehand, you shouldn't feel too bad after drinking one of those."

Taking another sip, Penny let the alcohol laced drink slide down her throat. Her eyes went to Thad before returning to Veronica. "Is your brother in law always like that?"

Veronica looked up from her drink. "Chris likes pretty girls. You fall into that category, so he feels the urge to flirt. What did he say to you?"

"Just things," she said, her eyes flickering towards Veronica's cousin again. "Nothing important."

The older girl arched a brow. She knew Chris had picked up on Penny's feelings for Thad and vice versa. They both tried to hide it. And knowing her brother in law, he could be very tactless, but with Penny…She studied the other girl. Purity and innocence were written all across her face. _"Then again, Chris makes most women blush, but with a girl like her…he probably wasn't at his worst. Considering he's been on his best behavior tonight…for the most part," _she thought as she took a sip out of her margarita. She turned to glance at her cousin. He was watching Penny again. He had been doing it a lot when he thought no one was looking. She smirked at him when his eyes met hers. His mouth twisted into a scowl before he turned away again. "Why does he keep on denying it, the idiot," she muttered under her breath. She cast a look in Penny's direction again. "So, did Thad promise you a dance?"

"Yes, he did," the Winner girl replied as she set down her drink on the table. "He hasn't claimed it yet." Her bright green eyes cast a fleeting look over at him, still at the bar. His back was to her, his shoulders, seemingly hunched in a defensive manner. She took a sip of her drink again. It was making her blood feel warm and lightheaded. "I guess I could ask him…"

"You should. I think it would be a splendid idea," said Veronica, nodding her head. A smirk she didn't let the other girl catch crossed her lips once her back was turned. "This is definitely going to be interesting," she said as she crossed her legs and sat back to enjoy the show. 

******************************************************************************

Penny felt warm all over. She knew it to be the drink. She had alcohol before, but it had been in tiny sips, and it had been wine. The effects of the hard liquor were not something she was used to. She felt steady on her feet as she approached him. "Thad?"

He turned around when he heard her voice. Those green orbs were sparkling brilliantly. _"More than usual too,"_ he noted as she smiled up at him. He had watched her with his cousin, knowing how devious Veronica could be when she got something into her head. She was a Yuy after all. However, he couldn't help but smile back at her. "Are you having a nice time?"

"Yes, I am…I was just wondering, if you would like a dance now," she said as she smiled back at him. He was way too handsome for his own good and the alcohol she had consumed was making her a little more forward then usual. 

There was no way he could say no with the way she smiled back at him. "Yeah, sure, why not?" he replied as he reached for her hand. He felt her fingers curve around his like they had earlier. It made him smile inwardly as they reached the dance floor. The song was slow and his one hand slid around her waist and the other one kept possession of her hand. The heat of her skin melted through his shirt as her hand rested on his shoulder. Looking down at her, he didn't really realize how small she was compared to him. Like his brother, he stood at six five, but Penny was tall for a girl, but still, the top of her head just barely touched his chin. He could smell the shampoo she used and he relished in the feeling of her shirt under his hand. He was also consciously aware of how close they were, that just another step forwards, they would be in complete physical contact. The muscles of her back played under his fingers. He frowned inwardly, he was just too aware of her. She had such a strong effect on him. He sighed and gave into the urge of resting his chin on the top of her silky hair. 

Penny closed her eyes as she felt his breath brush against her temple. It felt good being in his arms. She hadn't been completely aware of it until this point, but they were now pressed together, chest to toes. She attributed it to the fact that her drink had made her a bit unsteady on her feet. His arm tightened around her waist, making heat rush to her face. Grateful for the dim lighting, she didn't turn her head away when he looked down at her. They were way too close. Inches separated their faces, but she couldn't make herself look away. 

There was no way he could stop getting lost in her eyes as she looked up at him. He could tell that she was blushing, but that didn't stop him from gazing back into her glowing eyes. He could feel the movement of her body against his. It had taken him a minute to realize that they were molded together. They fit well. He was aware of her breasts, rising and falling as she breathed. Having surreptitiously studied her figure, he knew that they would fit his palms perfectly. He was also aware of the way her hips were pressed against his, the way they moved. He unconsciously tightened his hold on her. She was watching him. Her face flushing even more. A slight frown crossed his lips as he studiously ignored his body's reaction to her nearness. "Did you have anything to drink, Penny?"

Blinking her eyes rapidly, she nodded. "Yes. Veronica got me one, but I didn't finish it. She got me a Long Island Iced Tea."

Her response caused him to frown even more. "Do you normally drink at all?"

"No. In my country, the drinking age is twenty-one. I've had sips of wine, but that's about it. Come to think of it, I think I drank too much of it because I feel kind of funny."

"Stupid Yuy," he muttered under his breath as he glanced in Veronica's direction. He looked down at Penny again. "What kind of funny?"

"A little jittery…I don't know…a bit dizzy…" stammered Penny as she looked into his ice blue eyes. She leaned into him a little more. 

"And your face is flushed more than usual," he said as he brought a hand up and laid it against her cheek. Her skin felt hot, but it also gave him the opportunity to feel the softness of her skin. "You want to go?"

Every cell in her body gravitated towards his touch. His hand felt warm. It was a little calloused, but his touch was gentle. It made it hard for her to breathe and she could feel her heart pounding like a drum against her ribs. His fingers stroked her cheek. _"It makes me want to lean up and kiss him,"_ she thought as his fingers lightly traced her cheekbone. Her face went scarlet when she realized what she had just thought. Mortified, consciously blaming the alcohol she consumed, she leaned away. "I guess. If you don't mind," she said as she looked away. 

His hand fell to his side as she moved away. _"You're obsessed with touching her. You know you can't. It's wrong. What you feel is wrong. If you want to persevere your sanity, keep your hands to yourself," _he thought, acidly as he watched her face bloom with color. "No, I don't mind," he said, his voice low. "I think it's time we left, anyway," he said as he grabbed her hand and led her off the dance floor. He went over to Veronica while Penny went to get her sweater. "What the hell were you trying to pull?" he hissed. 

Veronica gave him a sidelong glance. "I was helping. Alcohol does wonders doesn't it? You two looked like you were going to kiss out there."

"Back off. I don't want your help. Matter of fact, I don't need it. She has Anthony. I don't want her to feel guilty for anything. So don't fucking meddle, Veronica. Leave it," he growled as he turned on his heel. 

The blond tapped her nails on her lips thoughtfully. She knew he was angry with her. Sighing, she stretched her hands over her head. "Idiot. As if I take a threat from a Merquise seriously." With a shake of her head she watched Penny and Thad leave. "You want her, you need her. And I'm going to do something about it, whether you like it or not."

******************************************************************************

Penny glanced at Thad from under her lashes. There was an angry expression on his face. Sighing, she let her eyes wander at the passing scenery. Her stomach rolled a bit, making her feel slightly nauseous. Placing a hand over her stomach, she silently cursed the alcohol that Veronica had talked her into drinking. It rolled again. "Thad?"

"What?"

"Stop the car."

"Why?"

"I think I'm going to be sick."

He immediately pulled over to the side of the road. "Shit!" he muttered under his breath as he got out and ran to the other side, just in time to pull her hair back. 

The pavement beneath her hands felt cold and gritty as her stomach got rid of everything in it. She was dimly aware of his hand holding back her hair as she continued to retch. She felt shaky, as she was sure that she was finished. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "I'm never drinking again," she mumbled as she sat back on her heels. She felt his hands smooth out her hair before she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist to help her stand. "I feel horrible."

"I know. Getting sick is not the fun part, trust me," said Thad as he let her back rest against his chest. He mentally choked Veronica for letting her drink. "Come on, I'll take you back to my house since we're closer, rather then your cousins,' ok?"

"Ok," Penny replied weakly as she was helped back into his car, grateful for the support of his arms. She laid her head back on the headrest and closed her eyes. 

As he drove back to his home, he muttered under his breath in Italian about his meddling cousin. Once there, he looked over at her. She was asleep. He didn't have the heart to wake her, so once he was out of the car, he went to her side and gently scooped her into his arms. Her slight frame pressed against his chest as he shut the door with his foot. Since he had parked in the garage, getting inside the house was much easier. When he reached the top of the stairs on the second level, he debated what he should do. "I should put her in a guest room so she could sleep it off, but there's no telling if she'll be sick again. And that means I can't leave her alone. So, the only thing I can do is take her to mine," he sighed as he turned and went up to the third level. Shadows from the November moon danced over the floor and walls from the wide expanse of windows on the back walls. He carefully put her down on his bed, trying not to wake her up. Her lashes fluttered. "I'm sorry," he whispered. 

Thad's face came into focus as she looked up at him. "Where am I?" she murmured. 

"In my room. I didn't think leaving you alone would be a good idea since you could be sick again. And my parents have Dylan in their room tonight, so I didn't want to wake them," he replied as he sat down on the edge of the mattress. "So, how do you feel?"

"Woozy."

He bent his head; silvery blond strands falling forwards over his forehead. "It's my fault. I should've been watching you a little more closely. Veronica should've known better not to get you a drink."

"No, it's all right. I should've been more insistent about not having it. But at least I know now that drinking is not something that sits well with me," she said as she sat up and tentatively touched his back with her fingers. "Don't blame yourself. You didn't know alcohol would do this to me…I didn't either. It's not your fault…. but I…"

"But what?" he asked, startled by her simple touch. It made sensations course up his spine. 

"I think…I think I'm going to be sick again…"

"Shit!" he cursed as he got her to the bathroom as fast as he could. He held her hair back as her stomach emptied even more of its contents into the toilet. When she sat back on her heels, he softly stroked her hair. "Finished?"

"I think so…for now anyways."

Her voice sounded weak and vulnerable. It tore his heart. "Why don't you wash your mouth out? Is there anything out of your bag you'll need?"

"The container for my contacts," she replied as she attempted to stand. She felt his arm slide around her, pulling her into an upright position. Grateful, she let her back rest against his chest briefly before she rested her hands on the sink and he went to get her purse. Washing out her mouth and splashing water on her face, she examined her reflection in the mirror. Her face was unearthly pale now. 

Thad brought her purse and stood in the doorway as she took out her contacts. He didn't like her color. It was too pale. He knew that some people couldn't tolerate a lot alcohol in their systems. His sister was one of them, having held her head, as she got sick from it when she was eighteen. His eyes went back to hers as they met in the mirror's reflection. She had pulled her hair back, away from her face. "You feel better?" he asked when she turned to face him. 

"Yes. Just a little."

Walking forwards, he reached out and ran his hand along her cheek. It was still pale, but he noted the color returning to her cheeks from his touch. However, he didn't remove his hand. Her skin felt cool and soft under his hand. His fingers pushed back strands of her hair behind her ear. His eyes caught hers again. She was watching him. Finally realizing what he was doing, he let his hand fall away. "You can sleep in my room. I'll sleep on the couch in the other room. If you want you could wear something of mine to sleep in…it might be more preferable to wearing jeans. So, if you need anything…just call for me, alright?"

"Alright," replied Penny as she watched the conflicting emotions dance across his face. "Thank you."

"Its nothing. I'll be in the other room. Good night, Penny."

"Goodnight," she said as he left the room. Feeling marginally better since her stomach was now emptied of the offending alcohol, she shrugged out of her sweater and laid it across the chair by the window. She went over to the closet and opened it, deciding to take him up on the offer of wearing something else. She tugged a shirt off a hanger and quickly stripped. The cotton felt good and it smelled like him. She rolled the sleeves up, since they went well past her fingertips. She looked down at herself. She supposed it covered her decently enough since she wasn't going to riffle through the drawers for boxers. Walking out of the closet, she eyed the bed on the opposite side of the room. It was big. Her face flushed. Shaking her head to dispel the flitting images in her mind, she pulled back the blankets and climbed under them. "It's only the alcohol making me think like that," she told herself as she lay on her side and gazed out the windows while his scent wrapped around her just like his arms would. It lulled her to sleep.

In the other room, Thad stood at the windows, staring out across the lawn and the forest beyond. The property stretched out beyond the edge of the forest. More then half of the property was allowed to grow wild. And every edge of the property was hemmed in by a high stonewall with high tech security cameras, which was his uncle's and his father's doing. Sighing he rested his hand on the glass and bent his head to stare at the hardwood flooring. Twenty feet separated him from the woman he wanted to claim as his. "No, she's a girl, she's not even twenty yet. She's…" he trailed off, continuing his study of the wood flooring, "…she's something else…" he finished, thinking of Penny in his bed next door. His bed. "Don't even go there," he growled at himself as he turned away from the window and flopped down on the couch. Kicking off his shoes, he laced his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling. He studied the intricate carvings in the plaster; desperate to make sure he fell asleep without imagining her in his bed…with him there. "Dammit!" 

******************************************************************************

The next morning…

Waking up with a stiff neck was not something he was accustomed to. Groaning, Thad rolled over on the couch and stared at the bedroom door, several feet past the television. He checked his watch. It was well after eight. It had taken him forever to fall asleep, wondering if she was all right…and to get rid of the images in his head. Luckily, he hadn't heard a thing. Swinging his legs over the side, he finally stood. His back made several cracking noises as he stretched before he walked over to the door. He pressed his ear against it and hesitantly placed his hand on the doorknob. "You're only checking to see if she's awake," he told himself as he turned it and opened the door. The door clicked shut silently as he closed it behind him. 

The sunlight spilled throughout the room, flooding it with a soothing yellow light. His eyes landed on her before they jerked away guiltily. He swallowed and raked a hand through his sleep-tousled hair before his eyes dared to fall on her again. Knowing how hot this floor could get when the heat was even on it's lowest setting, made some feel uncomfortably warm. It was obvious that Penny did since she had kicked or pushed all the blankets off of her and was sleeping in the middle of the bed without them. And it left her slender legs bare to his roving eyes. They traveled over the delicate bones of her ankles and the graceful curve of her calves, to the gentle bend of her knees, and higher to the creamy expanse of her thighs. He should've pulled his eyes away when they reached her knees as his hands tightened into fists and he squeezed his eyes shut once they went higher. Her restless sleep had caused the shirt to ride up to her hips. There was no way he had missed the pale yellow panties peeking from beneath the shirt's twisted hem. "Someone must really hate me to torment me like this," he muttered in deprecation as he opened his eyes again, but kept them resolutely on her sleeping face, however, he was hard pressed to keep his eyes on it, while so much was exposed to his view and firing his vivid imagination. 

"I should cover her up again," he said as he went over to the bed and grabbed the edge of the sheet. He kept his eyes on her face, but she rolled to her back, making the material of the shirt stretch across her breasts. _"Shit!" _It wasn't that she was that busty, but the fact that she was showing ample cleavage was enough to make him notice. Jerking his eyes away from her chest, he quickly yanked the sheet over her slim delectable looking legs and up over her chest. He felt too hot. His skin felt like it had been stretched. His insides were rioting. His heart pounding so hard, he thought it would burst through his ribs. Turning abruptly, he made his getaway. Breathing hard, he leaned against the other side of the door. His head was bent, his chin touching his chest. "What the hell is wrong with you? She's a child. Get that through your skull, Merquise! She's promised to someone else. Don't be a fucking idiot, if you care about her at all, you have to leave her alone!" he hissed at himself before raking an agitated hand through his blond hair. "If you care about her at all…if you…love her at all…you'll leave her alone," he whispered as his heart clenched painfully in his chest.

A/N: I know it took such a long time to get another part of this story out, but there's been so much activity in my life, I kept on getting away from it. But here it is and hopefully the next part and parts of my other stories won't take so long! Enjoy! XOXO!!


	6. The Set Up and Capitulation

_Disclaimer: I don't own them except for the kids!_

Wanted: Someone Who Cares, Part 6 

**__**

Penny frowned as she looked at the dress in her hands. She had never worn it because she didn't feel like it was she. It was a dress her older sister had gotten for modeling this designer's line. Her sister had passed it to her, saying it was a gift. And now, she wasn't sure she could pull a dress like this off since tonight was her dinner with Thad. It was two weeks after Chris' party and it had been scheduled for the week before, but Dylan had been sick. So, tonight was the night. Frowning again, she put the dress on the bed. "It's too much, it's not me," she said as she stared at it. 

"But it is."

She turned to see Veronica leaning against the doorframe. "I didn't know you were here?"

"I thought I would start bringing some of my things home since I don't have much longer before school lets out for the semester," the older girl said as she pushed herself out of the doorway. She shut the door behind her and went over to study the dress lying on the bed. "It's a beautiful dress. It would be a shame if you didn't wear it." Sapphire eyes slid over to leaf green eyes. "It would look good on you."

Penny looked back down at the black creation on the bed. She ran her fingers over the soft material. "It was a gift from my sister…I don't know what possessed her to give it to me since I could never wear a dress like this. And she knows that I wouldn't."

"Have you ever tried it on?"

"No."

"Well go try it on, silly! How do you know it won't look good on you? Go on!" Veronica gave Penny a soft push towards the bathroom. "You never know, the dress could be you after all."

Nodding her head, the younger girl took the dress from the other girl's fingers and closed the bathroom door behind her. Shrugging out of her robe, she sighed as she tugged the dress up over her hips. The soft chiffon felt cool against her skin. She tied it around the back of her neck and gave it a tug to make sure it was secure. Satisfied, she turned to look at her reflection in the mirror. The neckline was lower then she normally wore, showing more than a hint of cleavage. She turned and frowned even more. Her back was left bare until her waist. It meant no bra and no backless one either. It made her feel self conscious without one. "Not that I'm that big to begin with," she murmured as she turned again, the skirt brushing against the tops of her knees as she opened the door. She walked over to the waiting girl.

Veronica smirked inwardly as she walked around Penny. The dress was elegant and tasteful, and definitely sexy. The younger girl looked incredible in it. Her cousin would be hard pressed to keep his hands to himself tonight. Smiling brightly, she faced Penny again. "You look wonderful. The dress looks good on you."

"It does? I don't know…it seems a little much…I don't usually show this much skin…"

Waving her hand, the Yuy girl shook her head. "A little skin never hurts. There's no harm in showing off your body. It's every woman's right to look as sexy as she wants to be. You do too."

"I think you look great in it too."  
  


Penny turned to find her younger cousin, Mira standing in the door. "You really think so?"

"Of course I do, but if you feel self conscious, I can get a shawl from my mom's closet to go with it," replied Mira as she turned and left the room again. 

Veronica studied Penny's hair as she stood behind her, figuring out a way to show Vaughn's cousin off to the best advantage. As Penny's hair swished across her back again, she noticed markings on the lower part of the girl's spine. "Penny, is there something on your back?"

Glancing over her shoulder at the other girl, she ran her hand over her back. "Yes, it's a tattoo I got last year." Her eyes went to the black marks she could barely see without the help of a mirror. 

"What does it mean? It looks like…"

"Arabic. It means "Musical One." 

"How apropos," said Veronica as she walked over and studied it for a moment. "Why there though?"

"I wanted it in a place that people couldn't see it. I don't usually wear shirts that show off my back and my hair usually cloaks it from view when I wear a bathing suit. It's something I don't let others see. Anthony knows I have it, but he's never seen it."

Veronica arched a brow at other girl's response. "Never seen it, huh? Well, tonight, your hair is going to be up, courtesy of yours truly. It'll show off your back and you have such nice features, it's a shame you don't dress up more often," she tsked as she tugged Penny over to the vanity and put her in the chair. "Give me twenty minutes and I'll make your hair look like a million credits."

Penny complied as she felt a brush go through her hair. She knew Veronica wouldn't take no for an answer either. She was the confident type, always sure of herself and what she wanted. _"Unlike me," _she thought as she watched the girl's hands in the mirror's reflection. She was shy, which in most cases, wasn't a bad thing. She was noticed because of her talent, never her looks. People tended to overlook that. Her sister was the model, the pretty one. She was the musical one. Her brother, the athletic one. But Thad said she was pretty and beautiful, and of course, Chris called her cute. Anthony had said those things too, but not with great frequency because so much attention placed on her looks made her uncomfortable. Thad had changed that though. She looked down at her hands twisted on her lap. 

"Here we go," said Mira as she came back into the room with a sheer black shawl in her hands. "My mom won't mind if you borrow it tonight."

"All finished," announced Veronica as she did the final touches on Penny's caramel colored hair. "Now let's see the final product. The shawl if you please, Mira."

Penny stood and took the material from Mira's fingers and draped it over her shoulders and arms. She adjusted it as she stood in front of the mirror. It was hard to believe that the woman staring back at her was she. She smiled a little bit. "I guess I don't feel too exposed with this," she said as she turned around to look at her back. The sheer material, as thin as it was gave her some coverage. "What do you think Thad will think?"

"He won't know what hit him," replied Veronica as she eyed her subject with appreciation. She knew her cousin had threatened her not to meddle, but in her way of thinking, he needed someone to meddle. And even Vaughn, knowing how the two felt about each other was resolutely staying out of it, and had warned her from trying anything. "It's been some time since Thad took a girl out on a date."

Penny whirled around, the skirt swirling about her legs again. "It's not a date, it's just dinner. That's all."

Mira frowned at Veronica, but let her eyes go back to Penny. "We know its just dinner. Ver just means it's been awhile since Thad went out. He doesn't do it too often, deciding to spend his time with Dylan."

There was a distant knock on the door. Veronica went over to Penny and walked around the girl. She was making sure that Thad wouldn't be able to resist. "Just a little tidbit, Penny, don't mention it to Thad that I was here. He'll just say I'm meddling. I just want you to look your best for a night on the town," she said with a smile. 

 Penny nodded and took a deep breath as she picked up her small beaded handbag and left the room. "Thank you for doing my hair, Veronica," she said as she looked over her shoulder at the other girl. She smiled again and left the room. 

Mira eyed Veronica warily. "You're meddling, but I'm not going to say anything. I just hope your plan doesn't backfire because it'll hurt them both if it does."

"You won't have to worry, nothing is going to go wrong, Mira. You sound just like Vaughn."

"Vaughn is right to worry," mumbled Mira as she left the room after her cousin. 

******************************************************************************

Thad waited in the marble foyer, chatting with Vaughn and Quatre on various topics as he waited for Penny. He pushed back the sleeve of his suit jacket to check his watch. He had made reservations for seven thirty. He felt nervous, although, he couldn't accurately pinpoint why he would be. It wasn't like he hadn't taken a girl out to dinner before. But he had to constantly remind himself that it wasn't a date. It was just dinner with a girl he considered a friend. He looked up when he heard the sounds of shoes clicking on the stairs. He couldn't stop his mouth from falling open with surprise. Taking a few steps forward, he took her hand as she came to stand in front of him. "Are you sure you're the same girl I saw this afternoon?"

Penny smiled at his gentle teasing. Nodding her head, she raised her eyes to his. "The very same, just wearing a dress this time."

"You look wonderful. And I mean that. You should wear more skirts."  
  


A tale tells flush rushed across her features before he gave a slight bow and kissed the back of her hand. He looked too handsome by half too in the light charcoal gray suit with a white shirt and silver tie. "You look nice dressed up too."

Grinning, he gave her hand a tight squeeze before releasing it. "Thank you. It's been a while since I've had a reason to wear this. I'm glad that I have one."

She flushed again as he smiled into her face. The imprint of his lips lingered on her hand. She clasped them in front of her. "I'm ready to go now, if you are."

"Sure. I made reservations," he said as he offered her his arm. That blushing of hers was really too cute.

She slid her arm through his. She turned and looked at her two cousins. "I won't be too late."

Quatre smiled at his young cousin. "Don't worry about it. You're with Thad. I have no reason to worry," he said as he looked over at the oldest Gundam pilot offspring. _"Well maybe a little considering how he feels about her, but he won't do anything." _"Have a nice time."

"I'll take good care of her and I won't keep her out too late," said Thad as he pretended not to notice Quatre's eyes flicker with worry. He knew the older man had picked up his feelings for Penny, but he had apparently decided not to say anything. His eyes went to Vaughn, who was giving him a wary look despite the smile on his face for his cousin's benefit. 

"Have a nice time, Penny," said Vaughn as his eyes glanced back over at Thad. He shook his head slightly at the older man before returning his attention to Penny. He smiled. "Go out have fun and don't do anything crazy or stupid," he teased, but his eyes went to the older man as he said it. 

The older blond understood the young Winner's unspoken message in those violet eyes and nodded his head. "We won't. Now come on, Penny, we don't want to be late," he said as he guided her out the door and to his car. After he got her in, he walked around, only to see Vaughn standing on the steps. "You don't have to worry about anything, empath. I know what I'm doing," he said before he got into his car. 

Vaughn sighed and laced his fingers behind his head. "I certainly hope you do because I'd have to hurt you if you did."

******************************************************************************

Penny glanced at her surroundings as they sat in a secluded table. Candles flickered around them and at their table. "This is a beautiful place. Veronica has good taste."

Thad glanced at her over the top of his menu. "She has an eye for color and decoration. It was good of them to give her the account for this place. She did a wonderful job with it," he said as he looked around him. The soft muted colors, the intimate setting, all made for a very romantic atmosphere. He smiled at Penny. "You'll like it here. The food is good and they give substantial portions."

"Have you eaten here before?"

"No. My parents have. My mom had to bring some of her dinner home because it was too much for her to finish. I had the leftovers." At that moment their waiter arrived at their table. He looked over at Penny. "Are you ready to order?"

"Oh yes," she replied as she gave the waiter her answer. Handing him her menu she waited for Thad to make his selection. She hadn't known what to choose. Everything looked good, but it was all so expensive. She hadn't wanted to choose something that cost a lot even though she knew he could well afford it. 

"And I'll take this…" he said as he gave the waiter his order, "…and the Cristal. We'll have the bottle."

"Very well, sir," the waiter replied, giving a slight bow before he departure.

"Cristal! Thad that's…"

"Very expensive, especially if you order the bottle. But it's all right. Have you ever had it before?"

"Champagne? A sip at a friend of the families' wedding last year, but that was for the toast at the reception."

"You'll like it, although it does tend to be an acquired taste. I'll let you try it before I give you a glass."  
  


"Ok," she said as she sat back in her chair. The shawl was draped over the back of it. She felt self-conscious without it since it allowed the skin of her back to show to anyone who looked. And the heat from Thad's hand had melted through it, making her insides riot from his touch. Her eyes went to the bottle as their waiter brought it over with two crystal flutes and went to the ice blue eyes in front of her as he poured. The liquid sparkled in the candlelight has he offered it to her. Her fingers brushed his as she took the glass, making her skin tingle. She took a small sip. It bubbled on her tongue before she swallowed it. "It doesn't taste too bad. I'll take some, I suppose, but I doubt I'll finish the entire glass."

"That's fine," he said he took his glass from her. He could see the barely there smudges of her lips on the crystal. He poured her a glass and handed it to her. His fingers brushed hers again. Warmth radiated from that spot and throughout his entire body. He lifted his glass to his lips and took a sip from the same exact spot she did. It tasted faintly like strawberries "And of course, champagne always tastes better when you're with a beautiful woman."

Heat filled Penny's cheeks from his comment. She lowered her eyes from his intense gaze. She didn't have to ask what he meant. She had seen the smudges of her lips where he placed his. It made her own lips tingle expectantly. _"Stop that," _she berated herself silently as she raked her teeth over her lower lip. _"You shouldn't think like that. This is just dinner. We're just two friends having dinner and his comment meant nothing." _Raising her eyes to his once again, she smiled, her resolve strengthened once more. 

******************************************************************************

Dinner seemed to progress without any other "innuendo." He liked the sound of her laughter as he talked about more of his childhood and being responsible for baby-sitting the younger children. There was a smile touching her lips as he talked about Dylan and she would lean forward, listening with rapt interest. She wasn't wearing her glasses again, so he was rewarded by looking into the sparkling green depths without anything to hinder his view. It was also time for dessert. "So, what would you like?"

"I don't know, what would you recommend?" she asked as she dabbed her lips with her napkin. She had enjoyed her dinner, but more to the point, she had enjoyed his presence, listening to him talk, while his voice melted over her like butter. He had teased her like a guy friend would, but sometimes; she could see the flicker of fire in the depths of his crystalline eyes whenever he looked directly into her eyes. And when he did that, she felt breathless and her heart would pound like crazy in her chest. However, she would mentally shake herself from time to time, so she wouldn't forget. "Is there anything that you particularly like?"

"How much do you like chocolate cakes?"

"Very much."

"How about we get…" he asked as his eyes scanned the dessert cart nearby, "…that?"

Her eyes followed his and fell on the large slice of chocolate cake, garnished with strawberries and liberally doused in chocolate sauce. "I couldn't possibly finish that on my own, Thad."

"We'll share it. I'm sure the two of us could finish that," he said as he signaled to their waiter and pointed to the cake on the cart. He scooted his chair closer to hers. "It'll be easier to share if I'm closer." The cake was set in front of them with two forks. He waited. "Well?"

"It looks bigger up close," she said as she looked up at him. "You really think you and I could finish this?"

Nodding his head, he cut a small piece off and held it in front of her. "Come on, it's chocolate cake…if you love it enough it won't be a problem would it?"

Eyeing the fork, she glanced back up at him. He was still watching her. There was a teasing light in his eyes. Leaning forwards, she took the proffered piece of cake off the fork. The chocolate seemed to melt in her mouth with its delicate sweetness. The cake was light and soft, the perfect texture. Her eyes unwittingly closed as it invaded her senses. 

Thad nearly dropped the fork at the look on her face. He had a flashback to the time she had one of Hilde's cookies. That look of pure ecstasy. The kind of look he was more used to seeing on a woman after he made love to her. And it was quickly becoming a fantasy of his to see that look on HER face. His vivid imagination had tormented him with numerous visions ever since that morning when he had a good look at her curving body, clothed in his shirt. His mouth felt dry. "Do you like it?"

Opening her eyes, Penny looked directly into his. There was no way she could mistake the heat in them now. "Y…yes, its good," she said, her voice shaking as the emotions she felt towards him, attempted to fight their way to the surface. They were winning. She swung her eyes away from his and picked up her fork. "I think I can finish this…with help from you," she said, her voice still shaking. 

His control was slipping. He could feel it happening every time she took a bite of the cake. He blamed the champagne, he blamed the setting, he blamed Veronica for suggesting this place, and he blamed himself for thinking about her in a way he had no right to. It was getting to a point that he could never stop thinking about her, wanting her, watching her smile and laugh. She made him feel good inside. She was what he knew he had been missing, and he gravitated towards that. He wanted someone to care about him, wanted someone to need him, wanted someone to love him…and he wanted it to be her. Her every smile and touch was catalogued in his memory. The need to posses her was too much for him to handle. The cake was gone now and she was dabbing her lips with the linen napkin. "Would you like to dance?"

She put down her napkin and glanced towards the dance floor in the middle of the room. The look in his eyes was even hotter than before. "I…uh…"

He took her hand in his. "Please?"

Her insides melted from his touch and his simple please. Her battling emotions broke to the surface. She nodded her head. "Yes, I would love to."

Her emotions were in her eyes as he stood up and led her to the dance floor. He slid his arm around her waist, drawing her close so that their bodies touched. He rested his chin on her hair. His fingers lightly caressed her skin as they danced. 

His touches made her weak. Their fingers were tightly entwined as they danced. It felt so good to be in his arms, to be this close to him. Her eyes closed. The light touch of his fingers gliding across her skin was making her burn from the inside out. She bent her head forwards, resting it against his collarbone. There was nothing she could do to stop herself. She willingly molded her form closer to his. 

Thad tightened his hold on her as she stepped even closer. He pressed his lips against her hair. "Penny?" he asked softly. He felt the tickle of her hair against his chin as she lifted her head away to look up at him. There was a look in her luminous eyes he hadn't seen before. It was longing. It was surrender. He let go of her hand and rested it against her cheek, his thumb glancing her lips. He heard her breath catch. Closing his eyes, he bent his head towards hers until he felt the tip of her nose against his. He opened them again. She was blushing, he could feel the warmth radiating off her skin. His eyes flickered down to her gently parted lips before raising them back to hers. They were only inches away. There would be no one to stop him this time and he wasn't going to, but there were too many onlookers. He wanted to kiss her in private. "Would you like to leave?"

Penny felt her heart trip madly as his words vibrated against her mouth. She wanted to kiss him so badly. She wanted him to kiss her. "Yes." Her voice sounded breathless to her own ears as he guided her off of the dance floor and back to their table. She felt his hand rest on lower back as they left. Her heart was pounding so hard, she felt like it was going to burst through her ribs. It was anticipation and she knew it was because what she was going to allow to happen was forbidden. She looked up in surprise as he opened the door again and helped her out. His gaze was burning and making her insides liquefy even more. Her legs shook as they walked up the stairs to his room. She walked into his living quarters first, the door clicking shut behind her, made her, spin around. "Thad…I…" 

His eyes traveled over her slender figure, moving over every inch of her. Her fingers were splayed over her chest. They were pressing over her heart. Shrugging out of his jacket and undoing his tie, he walked over to her, taking her bag from her other hand, placing it on the table by her side. "Let me take this for you," he said as he grasped the end of her shawl and slid it off her arms and shoulders. He locked eyes with her. 

The sensuous feel of the material sliding across her skin and the look in his eyes made it feel like he was removing a more personal article of clothing. She was tingling from head to toe as he dropped the material on top of her bag. Her breathing sounded ragged to her own ears. "…Thad…"

"Can I ask you something?"

"…Yes…"  
  


Sliding his hand over her side, his fingers sought the small of her back. "What does this mean?"

The simple touch made her insides quiver. "…It means "Musical One," she said, her voice breathless. 

A corner of his mouth quirked up as he stepped around her and let his eyes linger on the delicate markings on her lower back. " I noticed it earlier. It suits you." His fingers traced over each stroke. 

Closing her eyes, she willed herself to stand up straight and not melt into a puddle on the floor. Her body began to hum with awareness. The scent of him invaded her senses. She felt his fingers dance over each marking before running up the curve of her spine to settle on the back of her neck. Her eyes opened and found him in front of her again. She nervously ran her tongue over her lips as he continued to look down at her. His fingers were so warm on her skin. "T…thank you…you're the first one to say so…" 

She was blushing again. It made her irresistible. Smiling a little, he bent his head towards her. "Why you hide it…I don't know, but I find it…"

Her heart sped up. "…Find it what…"

"…Very…"

Her eyes closed, as he got closer. 

"…Very…"

Feeling his breath against her lips, her eyes opened again to meet his. 

"…Sexy…"

Then his lips touched hers. 

_A/N: Want to see what happens? (Grins evilly) You'll have to wait until the next part, so until then…XOXO!_


	7. A Moment of HappinessIs It Worth the Pri...

_Disclaimer: I don't own them except for the kids!_

Wanted: Someone Who Cares, Part 7 

Her eyes closed. An electrical feeling raced through her as her lips melded against his. _"…So gentle…"_

_"Soft and warm," _he thought as he moved his mouth against hers. His other arm wrapped around her waist, his fingers moving lightly over the skin of her back. 

Her hands rested against his collarbone before tentatively sliding up and around his neck. She felt his grip on her tighten. She felt his tongue sliding against the seam of her lips, urging them to part. Complying, her lips parted under his. 

When her mouth opened under his, he let his instincts guide him. He pressed his tongue into her mouth, slowly stroking hers. He felt her rapid heart beat against his chest. She tasted like sweet innocence; although he was sure she had been kissed before. It had been awhile since he kissed a girl, but she wasn't like the others. She was different. None of them made him feel the way that she did. The kiss matched his feelings for her. 

There was no way to mistake the possessive quality of the kiss, nor the seductive motions of his tongue. She had been kissed before, but not like this. Not with the same degree of intensity or intimacy. Kisses never made her feel like she was burning up or having a consuming desire race through each nerve ending. She pushed her body into his and shyly kissed him back, arching herself willingly into his muscular frame. 

When her own tongue moved against his, he slid his hand into her hair, gently tugging the pins out and letting lock by lock spill over his fingers and her back. They were dropped to the floor. He tilted her head to the side, his mouth still moving over hers, not wanting to leave the snug wetness of her mouth. His senses were tickled by the scent of the coconut shampoo she used as he threaded his fingers through her tresses. Not completely finished with her mouth, but still, he left it, trailing his open mouth down her chin to the smooth skin of her neck. 

Her body went limp. Her hands tightened on the back of his neck. They dug into his skin as he gently sucked on her neck before placing light kisses on every inch of it. She felt his fingers move down the back of her neck again to rest over the tie of her dress. Her insides jumped as he slid his hand underneath it. Her breath caught, as she felt gentle tugging. 

Thad could feel the ties starting to give. He heard her breath catch and then a soft whimper vibrated against his lips. He kissed the spot where he pulse raced before moving to her earlobe. He nipped at it before running his tongue along the delicate shell. 

Chords of heat shot through her, making her gasp. She had never felt feelings like that before. There was pulsing warmth in her abdomen and her breasts were tingling in response. _"Oh my."_

Pulling the knot loose, he let the ties dangle against her shoulder blades. His hand squeezed the back of her neck before sliding into her silky hair, angling her head back. Raising his head, he looked down at her upturned face. Her green eyes were sparkling like brilliant jewels and her skin was flushed a pale shade of pink. She was watching him. He bent his head again and kissed her lips once again. 

Penny felt the brush of the ties against her back. The dress was loose in the front now, but it wouldn't fall since their bodies were pressed so tightly together. Her fingers loosened on the back of his neck as he kissed her, softly, tenderly…lovingly. They stroked the warm skin above his shirt collar before daring to smooth over his hair on his nape. It felt soft as she ran her fingers through it before sliding them down the sides of his neck again. He felt like he was burning up too and her fingers ran over the crisp material of his shirt, stretched over his broad shoulders before managing to get them between their bodies. It seemed almost instinct as her fingers tugged the buttons from their holes. Then they touched skin. Hot…muscled…skin. 

 There was just something about the shy, hesitant way she was touching him, that made his control snap. He drew her deeper into the kiss, making her gasp against his mouth. The hand that was on the back of her neck, caught one tie and pulled it forwards as he did the other one. 

She felt the dress beginning to slide forwards. Out of reflex, her hand fisted in the material to keep it from sliding over her breasts at the same time she tugged her mouth away from his. Her eyes immediately sought his. She felt feel her heart knocking against her ribs, threatening to break through. He was watching her with heavy lidded eyes. Those icy blue eyes of his were smoldering. She could still feel his hand resting on the lower part of her back. She glanced away and took a small step back. It didn't make him release his hold on her, but it gave her the space she needed. Everything was moving so fast that it was blurring. Green eyes lifted to his again. 

Those eyes of hers. The way that she was looking at him. There was innocence, confusion, and want. He dimly realized that he was moving a lot faster then he should, but he couldn't stop the tide of emotions she seemed to evoke in him. A soft smile touched his lips as he lifted his hand to her face, tracing over her cheekbone with his fingers. Her skin was so smooth. They trailed down to her jaw, gently stroking before going down the side of her neck. His fingers paused for a moment as they felt her surging pulse before continuing down the side of her neck. They trailed over her shoulder and down across her collarbone. Her eyes were still watching him as his hand covered her hand that was still clutching the dress. His thumb roved over her knuckles. 

She felt faint. There was a more tender expression on his face as he touched her. She didn't look away as his fingers danced across her skin. There was more then just desire in his eyes. There was that need, the need to be touched…to be cared for, that's what his eyes were mirroring. Deep inside her heart, she knew he loved her, just like she knew…she loved him. She felt his hand lightly grasping hers. She closed her eyes and let her hand release the dress. It fell in a gossamer froth about her ankles. Just out of her sheer innocence at this kind of intimacy, her arms reflexively crossed over her chest.  

Stepping forwards, he wrapped his arms around her. He rubbed his hands up and down her bared back as he bent his head over hers. He kissed the top of her head before nuzzling her ear with his nose. She responded by turning her head and meeting his lips with hers. Her kiss was sweet. It was then; he swept her up into his arms and carried her from the room to his bedroom. He set her down on the bed and shrugged out of his shirt. He looked at her. Too many times in the previous week, he found himself thinking of her in his bed, but none of those fantasies quite compared to this. Her skin seemed to glow in the pale moonlight. Her lips were parted ever so slightly. The soft mounds of her breasts gave way to the narrowness of her waist and the generous curves of her hips. And this time, black satin panties with lacy thigh high stockings. It was far, far better than any fantasy. He leaned over her. "You're so beautiful."

Her heart tripped as he said those words. She felt his hand come to hold hers. Her eyes traveled over him as well. The muscles in his arms were made prominent as he held himself over her. She could see the sculpted muscles of his chest and stomach. Her heart beat faster. She wanted to touch him. Reaching out with one hand, her fingers glided over his collarbone and over his shoulder. His skin was warm and resilient to the touch. She wanted him to hold her in his arms again, so with no hesitation, she lifted her other arm away from her chest and wrapped it around his side. "Hold me."

There was no way he could say no to her words and he gathered her into his arms again. Her breasts pressed against his chest, almost making him lose his control on his sanity, but he held her tight. He reveled in the feeling of her skin against his. Once again, she tilted her head back and she kissed him. Her plaint lips parted against his as he slowly lowered her back onto the bed. He nipped at her lips. "Penny," he murmured against her lips before sliding his tongue inside her mouth. One of his hands ran up and down the curve of her waist. 

Her hands clutched the back of his neck and back as they kissed. Their kiss was growing hungry and demanding, her body wanting to feel more and more. 

He tore his lips away from hers and ran them down the side of her neck. This time, it wasn't as gentle. He sucked her skin against his teeth, hard enough to leave marks on her skin. The taste of her, the feel of her was driving every rational thought out of his head. His hand ran between their bodies and captured one breast. It fit his palm just like he thought it would. He applied soft pressure to it, making her gasp against his hair. 

"Oh!"

Nibbling on her collarbone, he teased the puckered nipple between his fingers. He was rewarded with several more breathless gasps and catches in her throat. 

The sensations coursing through her were incredible. Her back arched as he rolled her sensitized flesh between his fingers. Her hands rubbed up and down his back before wandering up his neck to thread through his hair. The combination of his lips and hands were taking their toll on her sanity. She felt like she was being tugged into oblivion. _"And if it is, I don't want to return," _she thought as she sighed this time as his touch gentled ever so slightly. She felt his finger languorously circling her nipple before he touched it ever so lightly.  She shuddered. 

Moving his lips across her skin, he leisurely kissed the hollow of her throat before slowly trekking down her breastbone. He felt her body shift under his, her trim legs coming to loop about his hips. He could hear his heart thudding in his ears as she pressed up against him. He could feel everything. She was hot. Growling softly against her skin, he removed his hand from her chest and let it wander down to the back of her leg. He could feel the play of muscles under the skin as she held him tighter. His mouth moved further down as his hand slid to the inside of her thigh. 

A ripple of pleasure went through her as she felt his hand stroking her inner thigh. His open mouth was traveling over her skin, moving lower and lower as his hand moved higher. The ache inside her was increasing as his hand moved closer to where her body wanted it. _"No one has ever touched me like this or made me feel like this before in my life. Not even Anthony…"_ Her eyes snapped open. _"Anthony! Oh my God, what am I…" _"Thad! Stop!"

Crystalline eyes popped open at the sound of her voice. A panic laced voice. He felt her legs unlock and he pushed himself away. He looked down into her face. Her eyes were wide. "Penny…"

She crossed her arms over her chest as she sat up. "Oh God, what I am doing? What are we doing?" she cried as she buried her face into her hands. 

Guilt raced through him. "Penny…What's wrong?" Her left hand moved over her face. A ring on her left ring finger caught the light. A sick feeling began to fill him. 

"I can't! I can't! Oh God, what have I done!"

More guilt poured over him like acid. He sat on his heels in the middle of his bed as she cried into palms. He reached out to touch her, but she pulled back when she looked up. "I'm…"

Penny avoided his touch as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and ran from the room. "What have I done?" she sobbed. 

Thad sat there for a moment, running a frustrated hand through his hair. His brother's words rang in his head. _"One word of advice though, Thad. I would watch what you do with Penny. She's a nice girl, not Julia…"_ Vaughn's warning look and words flashed in his brain and before his eyes. Hunching his shoulders, he ground the heel of his hands into his eyes. He felt like a heel. "DAMMIT!" He got off the bed and grabbed another shirt as he ran out of his bedroom. He saw her leaving. She was running. "Penny!" 

She ran even though she could hear him calling her. She felt sick inside. She betrayed him. Tears ran down her cheeks, blurring her vision as she ran down the stairs. 

******************************************************************************

Vaughn sat up. He glanced down at Veronica, who was sleeping with her head nestled on his shoulder. They had come here after Penny and Thad left. Ripples of strong emotions were coming from Penny and Thad. And they weren't the good kind. He had been able to feel them all evening, but he hadn't given much thought to them. He centered his attention on Veronica. He gently moved away from her and swung his legs over the side of her bed and pushed his feet into his shoes. The hem of his jeans brushed against the floor as he went over to the door and opened it. He heard the pounding of feet overhead. He frowned. Something was most definitely wrong. He shut the door behind him and went further down the hall. The sound of someone running and the faint sound of tears reached his ears. He put his hand up against the wall. He had felt dizzy for a moment. _"That only happens when someone is under great emotional stress," _he thought as he waited for the moment to pass. He lifted his eyes to the approaching footfalls and found Penny at the end of them. She looked thoroughly debauched. "Penny?"

Her head snapped up as her cousin stood in front of her. She blinked rapidly to clear her vision. They stared at each other before her face crumpled and she launched herself into his arms. 

Shocked at her tears, he wrapped his arms around her. Lightheadedness assailed him again. It was she. His eyes narrowed as the cause of it came down the stairs behind her. Gritting his teeth, he gave Thad a hostile once over. Unbuttoned shirt. Messy hair. Flushed face. He looked down at Penny again. Her hair was tumbling over her shoulders in disarray. "Penny, look up at me," he said softly. 

She lifted her head to gaze into amethyst eyes. 

He scowled as he noted her swollen lips. He caught her chin between his fingers and he found pale bruises marring her ivory skin. Cold angry eyes shot back at the older man in front of him before he gently tucked her head against his chest again, allowing her to soak his white tee shirt some more. "What the hell did you do?"

Thad glanced away from the furious eyes in front of him. "I didn't…"

"The hell you didn't! What happened?"

"None of your business, Winner."

"The hell it's not! She's my cousin! I will damn well make it my business!"

"Nothing happened."

Vaughn's jaw clenched tight enough to make his teeth hurt. "That's bullshit." 

"What's going on?"

"Veronica, what are you doing home?"

"Never mind that," replied Veronica as she rubbed her eyes. They bounced between Vaughn, Penny, and Thad. "What's going on?"

"Your cousin did something to her."

Sapphire eyes shot towards Vaughn with his clipped voice. They went back to Thad. "You didn't? You weren't supposed to do that, you idiot! I didn't get her to wear that dress for…" she trailed off when amethyst and ice blue eyes stared at her. She covered her mouth with her hand. "Oops."

Thad fisted his hands. "You set me up, didn't you? Didn't I tell you not to meddle, you baka Yuy!"

"I thought I was doing you a favor!" Veronica retorted as she crossed her arms over her pink tank top and Vaughn's jacket. White pajama bottoms completed her outfit. "I didn't mean for you to go THAT far!"  
  


"I didn't!"

"Dammit, Veronica, I told you to leave it," sighed Vaughn as he cradled the back of Penny's head in his hand. 

"I didn't mean for this to happen!"  
  


Thad growled angrily. "The hell you didn't."

Veronica blanched when she heard Penny's muffled tears against her cousin. Remorse raced through her. "Oh." 

Thad turned his attention to Penny. "Penny, I'm…"

Vaughn pushed her behind him. "No. No more. Veronica, take Penny to my car. I'm taking her home."

"Vaughn…"

"Now, Veronica," he snapped as he turned to look at her. He touched her hair briefly. "We'll talk about this tomorrow," he said as he placed a kiss on her forehead. "Now take Penny to my car. I'll be there in a minute."

"Ok," she replied as she shrugged off his coat and placed it over the weeping girl's shoulders. "Come on."

Penny nodded her head as she allowed the older girl to guide her down the steps. Her eyes glanced over at Thad before they turned away. 

******************************************************************************

Thad watched her go, his heart aching with sadness and remorse. "Penny," he whispered. 

Vaughn turned his eyes towards Thad again. "Now, I'll ask you again…what the fuck did you do to her?"

The older man looked back at the younger one standing in front of him. He knew it took a lot to make a Winner angry, Quatrina being the exception. He had never been a witness to Vaughn's temper before, but he had heard it could be as formidable as Jonathon Maxwell's and Miles Barton's. "I didn't do what you're thinking."

Clenching his hands into tight fists, violet eyes narrowed even more. "You don't even want to know what I'm thinking!"

Thad's own temper snapped as he looked away and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I didn't make love to her! Is that what you want to hear, empath! Give me some credit!"

"I give you none."

Crystalline eyes shot back to Vaughn. 

"You don't deserve anything at all, least of all her after what you just pulled! Dammit, Thad, what in Allah's name were you thinking? She's someone else's girlfriend! You know how she feels right now! DO YOU!"

The eldest of all the children glanced away from the fury in one of the younger one's eyes. "I don't have to be an empath to know, I can see it," he said softly. 

"Well you should be because then you'd feel as miserable as she does! I can feel what she's feeling, and frankly, its' so strong it makes me dizzy. She feels guilty because she just went and betrayed the man she wears the ring for! It's making her hate herself because she loves him…but she also loves you! It's ripping her apart from the inside out!"

"Dammit, Vaughn! Don't you think I know that! I saw the look in her eyes! You think I don't feel bad enough for what I've done!" Thad snapped back. 

"I think you feel worse, as well as you should. She's a child and you knew that!"

"She's not a child, as much as I tried to convince myself that she was." He squeezed his eyes shut. "It was what kept my hands off of her for so long…but that wasn't a girl that walked down the stairs earlier…it was a woman. A desirable woman that I was in love with and I tried my hardest not to take advantage of, but when she looked at me the way she did at dinner…I wasn't going to let the opportunity pass me by!" His eyes opened again. "And I'll pay the price for it."

The empath's hands clenched even tighter, his nails digging into his skin. 

"I'm always going to pay the price for what happened tonight…but…"

Vaughn's face was beginning to burn red. 

"…Because she wanted to kiss me too…" Suddenly Thad found himself slammed into the wall behind him, and Vaughn's hands twisted in his shirt. His eyes widened. 

"You fucking idiot! You think you're going to pay the price for this! She'll be paying it back ten fold! And get it through your head…she's a child. A nineteen-year-old child, whose innocence you almost took! Dammit, you bastard, you should've known better to take advantage of it!"

Stunned by the young blonde's burst of temper, he could only stare at the younger man in disbelief. He had never known that Vaughn could've moved that fast and be strong enough to slam him into a wall, knowing that he outweighed the shorter man by thirty some pounds. 

Rage still burning in his blood, Vaughn growled and leaned closer to the other man. "I seriously hope you think about what you've done! I don't care what you say or do; you won't find forgiveness in me for this debacle. I knew how you felt about her as I knew how she felt about you, but I didn't push or meddle because I know all too well how that could end up. But…remember her face, her tears when you sleep tonight. She'll carry more guilt then you will even though it made her have that moment of happiness and nothing…and I mean nothing is worth her tears…especially if you give a damn about her…so think really, really hard about that tonight when you close your eyes and see the tear streaked face of the GIRL you claim to love." With that, he let go and took a step back. 

His head fell forwards as Vaughn's words rang in his ears. They made so much sense and he had tried to validate it before…but he couldn't in light of what the younger man had said. The knowledge of knowing of how she felt and what she would walk around with…and knowing her tears were because of him… "I…"

Turning towards the stairs, Vaughn stopped and glanced back. "Oh, yes, and there's one more thing…"

"And that is?" 

"This."  
  


Thad's head snapped sideways from the impact of the slender balled up fist. 

"I feel better now. And if you knew what was good for you…you should stay away."

The older man could only nods as he listened to the footsteps fade away. He could taste blood in his mouth. "I didn't know that Vaughn could punch that hard either," he murmured. His jaw throbbed from the impact. He shut his eyes, but they shot open again. All he could see was her tear stained face. "What was I thinking? Was it worth her tears?" he whispered as he stood there, staring at the floor. He shook his head. "No…it wasn't…" His voice cracked with remorse as he slowly turned and went back up the stairs. 

******************************************************************************

Penny sat in Vaughn's car quietly. Veronica was standing silently by the car, her body wrapped up in her jacket she had pulled from the hall closet. She felt miserable. She heard the door open and her cousin come out. He carried a blank expression as he pressed another kiss on Veronica's forehead before getting in beside her. She glanced at him. He was still angry. She could see it in his eyes, but she didn't say anything as he started the car and drove down the driveway. She pulled his jacket around her and huddled into it. Her eyes were itchy and she absently rubbed them with her left hand. The feel of the cool metal of her ring made another lump rise in her throat, but she pushed it down. _"How could I have let this happen? Why did I let it happen? I shouldn't of let him kiss me, it was a mistake…a huge mistake…" _she thought as she stared out the window. She looked down at her lap again. Her fingers twined together. Her eyes filled with tears again as they concentrated on the ring on her finger. She didn't realize that they had arrived back at his home when he came around and opened the door for her. She took his proffered hand and was grateful for his arm coming to rest about her shoulders as they walked up the steps and into the house. He didn't say anything to her as he walked her to her room. When he pushed the door open, she turned to look at him. "Vaughn…I know you're angry…but it isn't Thad's fault…it's mine…I knew better…." She stopped when his finger pressed against her lips. 

Vaughn shook his head at his young cousin. "No. It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself. HE should have known better to take advantage of you and how you felt about him…and that's my fault because I told him how you seemed to feel about him. But I stayed out of it…I've seen how much meddling can cost someone…It's not your fault, Penny. Don't blame yourself. Thad should've known better since he's also older."

She shook her head as well. "No, don't blame yourself and don't blame him either…"

Waving his other hand, he let the other one rest on her cheek. "Don't let this eat you up inside. No one will tell anyone what happened tonight. I know you don't want to put the blame on him, but like I said, he should have known better to take advantage of your feelings for him…I know you feel guilty over what happened because of Anthony, but if you want to talk about it to make you feel better, you and I will stay here instead of going to Sunday dinner at the Maxwell's house tomorrow. You won't have to tell him to absolve anything. I'll do it for you…I'll take some responsibility for this. I won't let you do it."

"But Vaughn…"

"No, Penny. Let me. Let me make sure you'll be ok."

There was a pleading look in his eyes now. She lowered her head and stared at the floor. She didn't want to tell Anthony and maybe this way, she wouldn't have to. She nodded her head. "All right."

Smiling, he placed a kiss on the top of her head. "All right then. Right now, get some sleep ok…and don't cry anymore…he's not worth crying over after what he's done to you," he said softly as he gave her another gentle smile before turning away and walking down the hall to his room. 

Penny stared after him. "That's not the entire reason I'm crying, Vaughn. I'm crying because I love him and I know…I know nothing can change that, but I made my choice long ago…and there's no going back. That's why I cry now, because I…can't…" she whispered as she closed the door and her tears rain down her face, and to the floor. 

A/N: Now, weren't you glad I made the last part a cliffhanger? Now, I'll leave you to ponder what's going to happen next…maybe the entrance of Anthony? You'll have to read to find out! XOXO!!


	8. Feelings So Wrong, but Feel So Right

_Disclaimer: I don't own them except for the kids!_

Wanted: Someone Who Cares, Part 8 

**__**

The clock ticked slowly. Too slowly. His eyes watched the movement of the second hand as it made it's way around the white face. It didn't ping. A minute to one thirty. "DAMMIT!" Raking a frustrated hand through his hair, Thad opened the drawer and dumped the clock in, shutting it with a resounding slam. Instead it left him with lights of red and green to deal with. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. And all he could see was HER. Penny. They opened again and lifted to the reflection on the glass. A slight bruise from Vaughn's well-placed fist marred his one cheek. Even his own gaze was as accusing as the younger man's had been, as well as Damien's had been. He grimaced about the fight Damien had been ready to start with him on Sunday. "You knew it would happen. Damien couldn't keep his temper under control. I mean would you really blame him. She's family. You would defend your own sister and cousins in the same way," he said as he stared at his reflection. "You wouldn't be able to look at yourself if you didn't understand."

He bent his head forwards and rested it in his palms. He hadn't seen her in three days. He didn't blame her, but he missed her. The sound of her laughter, her voice, the way she would smile at him, the way she would blush…the list was endless. Sighing, he ground his forehead into his palms. Her shattered look, her tear streaked face, the look of her heart breaking in her luminous green eyes. "And you did it. You did it to her. You should've known better, but you let your libido get the better of you. You let them have complete control, when you should've been using your head, you baka."

"Taken to talking to yourself."

Thad whirled around in his chair. She was standing there in the doorway. She looked pale and drawn, but she was giving him a tremulous smile. "Penny, what are you…I mean I didn't think…"

"That I would come back," replied Penny as she walked in. She absently tugged the sleeves of her corduroy jacket over her wrists before she sat down on the couch opposite his chair. "I wanted to give you the lyrics to go with the music I wrote," she said as she placed her bag on her lap and withdrew a sheet of paper. She held it out to him, watching his emotions flit across his face. Her heart pounded. 

Taking the paper from her outstretched hand, he let his eyes meet hers. Her eyes fell away from his and she fiddled with the turtleneck of her chocolate brown sweater. He leaned back in his chair and read the words that she wrote. 

She could feel her pulse racing out of control. Fingers continued to worry the neck of her sweater. Pale bruises could still be seen on her throat. She didn't want to advertise them. However, the memories of how she got them burned in her mind. A hot open mouth sliding over her skin, sucking and licking made her hand still and fist the other one in her lap. She bent her head, letting her ponytail hang forwards over her shoulder. _"You have to stop thinking about it. It was wrong to let it happen and it's wrong to think about it now. You know nothing can happen, so why are you reliving the memories?" _she thought, as she closed her eyes. 

He lifted his eyes back to her again. She was looking down so that her hair cascaded over her shoulder. Part of him wanted to pull her into his arms again and kiss her, but he knew it was wrong. A small smile touched his lips. "I like it."

Her head snapped up at the sound of his voice. "You like it?"

He smiled again, wider this time. "I think it's very good, Penny."

A genuine smile crossed her face. She flushed with pleasure. "Thank you, Thad."

He loved the way she said his name. "So much so, I think I should go get the recording of the music I did last week for it."

"Huh?"

"I wanted to surprise you with it, so I had Vaughn, Donavon, and Miles record the music for it. All it needed it was lyrics and you to sing them."

"You did that for me?"

"What wouldn't I do for you?"

Heat rushed to her face and she glanced away, but a small smile managed to curve the corners of her mouth. 

He felt like smacking himself for blurting that out, but she was still smiling. "We have to go to the "library" to find it," he said, mentioning the large room where all the recordings were kept. 

"I help look," said Penny as she stood up, shrugging out of her jacket. She walked out of the room and down the hall to the left. 

Thad followed her down the hall, trying in vain to keep his eyes off of the swing of her hips as she walked. His eyes went to the lower part of her back where her tattoo was hidden. Her skin was extremely soft in that spot. The delicate markings and their meaning suited her. 

She could feel his eyes on her back as she walked. It made her clasp her hands behind her. Her palms felt sweaty. The rapid pounding of her heart thudded in her ears. She felt his eyes concentrating on the spot where her tattoo was. The memory of his fingers tracing over each mark made chills run down her back. And they were the good kind. _"Stop that! You're only torturing yourself if you keep on remembering. You've been unfaithful in mind ever since you met Thad and now you've been physically unfaithful as well. You're hurting Anthony…yourself…and even…Thad," _she thought as she walked into the room that housed all the studio's recordings. 

He let out a sigh as he pulled his eyes away from her. Following her down to the very end of the room, since all of the recordings were alphabetized by the name of the artist. "Here we are. W's," he said as he crouched down on the floor and started to look. "You can check up on the top shelf on the other side. Use the ladder to look."

"All right," she replied as she pulled the sliding ladder over to the shelf she needed to look at. Her hands gripped cool metal as she hoisted herself up onto the ladder. She stood on one of the high rungs, bending slightly to the side to look at the slim black cases with their discs inside. 

Letting out another sigh, he stood up. "It's not down on this shelf. It might be on yours." He turned around and wished he hadn't. His eyes were level with her rear end. Tight faded denim always did wonders on a woman. Penny was no different. As slender as she was, she adequately filled out a pair of jeans, especially in the back. He yanked his eyes away and cleared his throat. His skin felt tight and he suddenly felt way too hot. "Have you found it yet?"

A smile lit up her face. "Found it!" She slid out the thin case with her name on it. "It was right here next to Vaughn's," she said as she held it against her and started to climb down. Her booted foot slipped on a rung. She let go of the case. 

His arms shot out automatically, wrapping around her waist and breaking her fall. Her back pressed against his chest. Closing his eyes, he let out a sigh of relief. His heart had been in his throat when he witnessed her slip. "Are you all right?"

"Yes." She could feel the warmth of his body surrounding her. It felt good. As did the strong arms wrapped about her waist. 

He lowered her to the floor, realizing that he had been holding her a few inches off of the ground. His body arced over hers, tucking her against him. Resting his forehead on her shoulder, he expelled another breath. "Good. That's good," he murmured. The soft scent of her coconut shampoo tickled his nose. He inhaled. 

More chills raced along her skin when she felt his warm breath through the fabric of her sweater. Her eyes closed. 

Lifting his head away from her shoulder, he stood up a little straighter, but still kept her nestled against him. He pressed his cheek against her ear. Platinum mingled against caramel. "I'm sorry."

Her head lifted at his words. Green eyes slid closed. 

When she didn't say anything, he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry if I hurt you. I never wanted to…I don't want to…"

A lump formed in her throat. 

He turned his head slightly so his lips rested against her ear. "It was all my fault, Penny. I should've known better…but I…didn't. I never wanted to make you cry."

Her eyes opened, filling with tears. 

"And there is no way I could ever make it up to you, I know that. I wouldn't want you to forgive me either. I don't want you to feel bad for what happened between us. I'll take the blame for it…I don't want you to feel bad because I couldn't help myself," he whispered, his arms holding her even tighter. 

Her heart was breaking. He sounded so dejected, so upset that it made her tears finally roll down her cheeks. She brought her arms up and rested them over his, her hands grasping his forearms. Soft sobs escaped her lips. The past three days, all she could do was cry. Vaughn had stayed with her, talked to her, let her cry. It was clear to her that her cousin solely blamed Thad for what happened. But she didn't. She couldn't. "…Don't…take all the blame…on yourself…"

Opening his eyes, he could see rivulets trickling down her cheek. "Don't cry…please…Penny…please don't cry…"

"I let you kiss me…I'm at fault just as much as you are…I responded to you…I wanted to…so don't take all the blame on yourself…"

"I took advantage of you…"

She shook her head. 

"…But I did. You're only nineteen years old…I'm nine years older than you…"

"Your age doesn't matter. Mine doesn't matter…you didn't take advantage of me…I let you do those…things to me because I…wanted you to…I wanted you to kiss me…to touch me," she whispered, her cheeks reddening from her admission.

Thad lifted one hand to her cheek, turning it towards him. He stared into her eyes, still glimmering with tears. "You wanted me to?'

Penny nodded her head as crystalline eyes searched hers. "Yes."

He rubbed his thumb over her damp cheek. "Then why are you still crying?"

"Because if anything, I was in the wrong. I cheated on him, but I can't help the way I feel about you…"

He stared at her. "And how do you feel about me?"

She shut her eyes and shook her head. "I can't. You know I can't…its wrong…I just…"

He kissed her. He didn't even think about it. He just did it. 

Green eyes sprung open, but drifted closed again. Her heart began to race. 

He didn't open his mouth. He just rubbed it against hers. Her lips were warm, soft, and tasted like her tears. "I never cared about anyone like I've cared about you," he breathed, his mouth still against hers. 

The lump in her throat returned. "Thad…please…"

"Please what?"

"Please…you know that I can't…"

"I know, but I want to. I want you to know how much I care about you."

Her heart ached with what she felt for him. It made her keep her lips pressed against his. She didn't know how something so wrong could feel so right. It felt right to be in his embrace. To have his lips touching hers. To feel what she was feeling. It all felt right. But it was wrong and they both knew that. "Thad, we can't."

He could hear the cracking of her soft voice as she spoke. Her words vibrated gently against his mouth. "I know…but if I can't…just let me have this moment…even if it is wrong…please…"

Her lips parted under his. 

A faint smile touched his lips as he moved them over hers. He allowed himself to take brief tastes of sweetness, his tongue barely breaching her lips with each kiss. 

Every touch made her heart leap in her chest. It was making her bones melt. This was a kiss of forever. She felt it with every fiber of her being. She knew that he would always care for her, no matter what. Her lips parted even more as she drew his tongue into her mouth. It slid in, sensuously, making her shudder. 

He drew her tighter against him, wanting never to let her go. 

Her hands gripped his arms. 

"PENNY! ARE YOU HERE! I HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU!"

"BELLA!"

Penny tore her mouth away and glanced at the door. "Oh God. Anthony."

_A/N: Aren't I evil? I do so love to leave cliffhangers. Until next time! XOXO!!_


	9. Being Noble

_Disclaimer: I don't own them except for the kids!_

Wanted: Someone Who Cares, Part 9 

**__**

Penny felt frozen in place when she heard his voice call out the nickname he had for her. She had always been his "Bella" for as long as she remembered. Her eyes went back to Thad, who was staring back at her.  She closed hers. Her lips still felt warm from his. Tears burned the back of her eyelids. She had done it again. Her hands came up to cover her face. 

"Don't cry."

She felt the gentle touch of his hands as he pulled hers away from her face. Ice blue eyes gazed at her solemnly. 

Thad brought her hands up to his lips and he kissed them lightly. "Don't cry," he repeated as he brought his one hand up to her cheek. He brushed an errant tear away. "We can't have him see you upset like this, could we? Don't cry, Penny. For me."

Not saying anything, she nodded her head. His heart was in his eyes. "All right."

Giving her a rueful smile, he let his hand fall away. "Go to him. He's calling you."

There was a note of sadness in his voice, but he was smiling at her. She sniffed back her tears and pressed her palms against her cheeks. They felt heated. 

"Bella! Where are you?"

Penny turned again at the sound of his voice. Forcing herself to walk towards Anthony's voice. She glanced over her shoulder at him. His head was bent down, his bangs falling over his forehead, shadowing his expression. Her heart twisted in her chest, but she kept on walking. "Anthony, I'm right here," she said as she stepped back out into the hall. 

He clenched his hands into fists as she walked away. How he wanted to reach for her, to pull her back into his arms, where he knew she belonged. But he didn't. He wasn't going to because it couldn't happen, because he loved her too much to put her through any more pain because of him. Since the day he realized that Julia didn't really love him, he had longed for someone who did. Who wanted him. Who cared about him. Who really and truly loved him. He hadn't found it…until HER. Penny. Lifting his head, he heard her call out for Anthony. Blinking once, he bent down and retrieved the case that she had dropped. He sighed as he walked towards the door, his heart breaking with the knowledge that he could never have her. "All I can do is love her, but in order for her to be happy, I've let her go to someone else. It's the way it has to be." His eyes rose from the floor to see her locked in an embrace with HIM. 

******************************************************************************

"Bella, you have no idea how much I've missed you," said Anthony DiVerbra as he hugged her tight in his arms, her feet leaving the floor as he swung her around once. He smiled down into her face. "Are you surprised to see me?"

She nodded as she looked up into his deep brown eyes. They were always so warm and friendly. Giving him a tentative smile she leaned away from him. "I am. Why are you here, Anthony?"

"School is out for the semester and I wanted to see you. I missed you so much, Penny," he replied as he gave her a possessive kiss on her lips. 

Thad turned his eyes away. There was no mistaking the way that her boyfriend felt about her. It was in the way he was holding her, the way he talked to her…the way that he was kissing her. His every action told the world that she was his girl. An ache spread throughout his chest. It made it hard for him to breathe. His eyes went to Vaughn standing a few feet behind Anthony. He was smiling indulgently, but his eyes turned towards him. They took on a glacial quality as they fell on him. "And what brings you here, Winner?"

Vaughn could feel the jealousy pouring off of Thad and practically permeating the space around him. The corner of his mouth tilted up in a semblance of a smile. "Came to deliver my cousin her "present," he replied. The ice blue eyes were gazing back at him steadily. He could see how much this was killing the older man. He sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "It was the nice thing to do."

"I see," replied Thad as he read the unspoken message in the violet eyes. It meant, "It was the right thing to do." Letting out a sigh of his own, he let his eyes rest back on Penny and Anthony. He wasn't kissing her anymore, but his hands were resting on her hips. A wave of jealousy washed through him, but he reminded himself that this man had the right to touch her like that; it was him, who didn't. "Are you going to introduce us, Penny?"

Penny turned to look over her shoulder at Thad. He was staring at her or to be more precise, the hands resting on her hips. Gently disengaging herself, she took a step back. "Anthony, I would like you to meet Thad Merquise. He's been helping me with my music. Thad, this is Anthony DiVerbra, my…boyfriend," she said, her voice fading with her last words. 

Smiling, Thad took a step forwards and shook the other man's hand. "Its nice to finally meet you, after all Penny's told me about you." However, what he was feeling inside was twisting him into knots. Anthony was shorter than him, about the same size as Vaughn. His dark brown hair matched the eyes, and the skin tone was several shades darker than his own. 

"I've heard a lot about you as well…from Vaughn, I mean. Since I go to school with him," replied Anthony, smiling in return. He released the older man's hand. He took quick note of him. Tall, blond, blue eyes, and good looking, definitely a guy his little sister would fawn over. "I hear you've been taking very good care of my girl. Any guy who can share her talent and make her smile is definitely a friend of mine."

The blond was taken aback. There was nothing he could find that he disliked. Penny's boyfriend was an all around nice guy from this meeting. How could he be envious of a guy like that? He smiled again. "I don't think I'm responsible for all of that."

"I don't think so. I'm into music as well, but I'm not quite as talented as Penny or any Winner for that matter. It was good of her cousin to introduce you two. She's makes quite an impression, doesn't she?" Anthony stated proudly as he took her hand in his. He kissed the back of it and smiled into her green eyes. 

Ice blue eyes watched her hand in his. Her eyes flickered towards him before falling away. She was blushing. "Yes. Quite the impression."

Her face grew warmer under his gaze. She glanced down at the floor. "I don't think I'm that special."

Thad shook his head. "You are, don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. Don't even let yourself say otherwise. You're unique, Penny." 

Unbidden pleasure raced through her at his words. Her blush grew brighter, but she raised her eyes to his and gave him a shy smile. "Thank you."

Anthony grinned as well as she blushed and smiled. "I couldn't have said it better. You're quite unique, Bella. That's one of the reasons why I love you," he said as he grasped her hand again, his fingers absently twisting the ring on her left hand. 

Thad's eyes fell on her ring. He grinned as well despite the sick feeling he had in his stomach. "You're a lucky guy, Anthony to have such a special girl like that."

The younger man hugged her close again and pressed a kiss on her cheek. "She's one in a million. She could have any guy she wanted, but she chose me. I've been in love with her since we were kids. It was sheer luck that she said "yes" to  going out with me, and I still think I'm fortunate that she said the same to wearing the ring. It's not every day that your best friend, is the woman you love and going to marry."

There was that knife twist in his heart again. His head was beginning to pound. This was giving him a headache. "No, it's not everyday the woman you're going to marry falls into your lap."

There was such heartache in his eyes. It made her own heart clench painfully. 

Vaughn's eyes bounced between Penny and Thad. The older man was so smitten by her, it was staggering. And his cousin was half in love with him as well. This was causing her great distress, which in turn, made him feel dizzy. He had a sneaky suspicion that the two of them had been doing something before Anthony and he came to surprise them, but he knew it would make Penny suffer even more. He didn't want to do that. 

Thad ignored the probing gaze of the empath and continued to smile. "Why don't you go out with him? Spend some time? I'm sure there's a lot for you two to catch up on?"

Penny gave him a curious, but worried look. "Are you sure? I haven't been here that long and we were just going to listen to the music you did for me."

Nodding, he let his smile become relaxed instead of forced. "I'm sure. You can come back tomorrow and listen. You can bring Anthony if you like."

She let go of his hand and went over to the other man she loved deep within her heart. "Are you really sure this is ok with you?"

Reaching out, he let his fingers dance along her fingertips. "I'm sure. Remember what I said earlier? Go on, Penny. Go with him."

There was no mistaking the misery that was being put into his eyes. The words that he said to her earlier rang in her ears. _"There's nothing I wouldn't do for you." _ He would let her go, so she could be happy and not hurt her. "I understand," she said softly. She looked back at Anthony. "Come on. I have to go get my coat before we leave," she said as she took his head and lead him from the room, but not before glancing over her shoulder, her eyes meeting his for a brief moment before turning away. 

"Thank you, Thad. I owe you one," called Anthony as he let himself be led out of the room by the woman he loved. 

******************************************************************************

Vaughn stood there and didn't say anything until he was sure they were out of earshot. "That was noble of you."

The older blond shut his eyes and let out a long rueful sigh. "It's for her."

"I know it is. You're being the gentleman. You love her. She loves you. But you understand now, how torn she was and still is. There's no way she would leave him because she loves him too despite loving you the way that she does."

"I know that too."

"I'm sure that you do. I didn't think I had to punch you the other night for you to understand that. It was more just to make me feel better."

"You did it for her. She's family. I understand perfectly. I would do it for my sister. I would do it for Victoria and Veronica. I would protect them and defend them in the same manner."

A corner of the empath's mouth quirked up. "I'm glad that we see eye to eye on this. It shows courage and a great deal of strength to give up the woman you love, just to make sure she's happy, even if it means she's in the arms of another man. Penny is easy to love. She makes everything uncomplicated…and she brings out the very best in everyone around her."

Thad looked at the floor. "It might show strength and courage, but it does hurt a lot. I'm giving up my future for someone else. If she wanted me to pursue her, I would, but she doesn't. It would cause her too much anguish if I made her choose. I'm not going to. I don't want to make her cry. I much rather see her smile and laugh." 

 A full smile crossed Vaughn's lips. 

Crystalline eyes met amethyst. "That's why I'm giving her up even though it hurts. As long as she smiles, laughs…and sings, it will bring me joy knowing that I could do that one little thing for her."

"You're truly something else, Thad Merquise. I give you that. Even though what happened Friday night…went and pissed me off because it caused her pain, I can't hold a grudge for caring about her the way that you do."

"That's good to know."

Vaughn smiled again. "Well, I think I should go give them a ride back home. You're doing the right thing, Thad," he said as he turned on his heel and left the room. 

Sad blue eyes fell to the floor again. "Yeah…I'm doing the right thing. Then why does it have to feel wrong?"

******************************************************************************

Glancing out at the passing landscape, Penny let out a soft sigh. The look in his eyes. It made a lump form in her throat, but she pushed it down. She wasn't going to cry. She promised she wouldn't…for him. Her eyes went to Anthony's reflection in the review mirror and gave him a smile before looking away. _"I made my choice. I'm doing the right thing. We're doing the right thing," _she told herself as her heart tightened in her chest.

_A/N: Getting interesting, yes? Until next time! XOXO! _ 


	10. A Night to Remember, A Lasting Love

_Disclaimer: I don't own them except for the kids!_

Wanted: Someone Who Cares, Part 10 

Weddings were depressing. He kept his eyes resolutely on the couple taking their vows. Dylan sat on his lap quietly, observing his surroundings. His son was providing him with enough distraction so he wouldn't look to the row in front of him. Sitting on aisle was Penny and Anthony. His mouth twitched and his hand tightened onto the smaller hand holding his. 

"Thad, relax."

His eyes darted towards her. Mira was looking at him, her aqua eyes gentle and understanding. He loosened his grip on her hand. "Sorry."

Mira gave him a soft smile. "That's all right," she replied linking her fingers with his. Her eyes returned to the front where Miles and Cristal were before turning back to his. "I can feel that you're upset," she whispered. 

Crystalline eyes locked back with the aquamarine. It was easy to forget that Mira was empathic to a degree. She could only read someone's emotions if she had physical contact with them. As she was with him. "Obvious?"

"Only to me. Maybe my dad. And Vaughn," she said nodding to the row in front of them. She was his "date" for her cousin's wedding, so she sat with his family. 

He sighed and let his son lean back against him again. He rested his chin lightly on Dylan's silky blond hair. "Pretty pathetic," he mouthed to her. 

Shaking her head, she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "You'll be fine," she mouthed back before she covered his hand with her other one. 

Her warm touch distracted him too. He looked at the girl next to him and realized that she really wasn't a "girl" anymore either. She was eighteen. A beautiful young woman. There was no denying that the two youngest, Isabella and Mira, were just "girls" or "children" anymore. They were women. Like she was. Penny. _"DAMMIT!"_

******************************************************************************

Penny felt like vise had been clamped to the base of her neck. It had felt that way all during the wedding and it felt the same way now, at the reception. She had kept her eyes away from him, but every now and then he would fall into her line of vision. Like he was now. Dylan was there, standing next to his leg, watching the people dance, laugh and drink. She had noticed that he used his son as a barrier to avoid being asked to dance by women. She had been told about that, but she had never seen it like she had tonight. The only person he had danced with was her cousin Mira. His date. Taking a small sip of the champagne in her glass, she tore her eyes away. "Anthony?"

Anthony turned his eyes towards her and smiled. "Are you having a nice time, Bella?"

Her green eyes flickered towards Thad again before returning to the soothing brown eyes in front of her. "Yes."

He touched her cheek with the back of his hand. "Although I can't help but notice that you've been a little distracted this evening. Are you feeling all right?"

She flashed him a smile. "Yes, I'm fine. What gave you that idea?"

"You're drinking."

A guilt ridden flush bloomed in her cheeks. He knew she didn't drink a lot. Let alone three quarter's of the glass of champagne in her hand. "I don't know. Weddings have a weird effect on all women. I'm no different."

He removed the glass from her hand and rose from his seat. "Come. We haven't danced yet this evening."

Taking his proffered hand, she let him lead her out to the dance floor. She rested her shin on his shoulder. Her eyes went to Thad, who was in her line of vision once again. The vise tightened once more. 

******************************************************************************

"You can't avoid her all evening, Thad."

He ignored the soft rebuke and picked up Dylan. "Your point?"

Mira let out a frustrated sigh. "You're being stupid. You think this is easy for her? She's been a mess all day." Her eyes went to his son in his arms. "And stop using your son as a barrier."

His eyes shot towards hers again. Her gaze was accusing. "I'm not."

"You are and you know it. You've avoided dancing with other women besides, your mother, your sister, and myself. You use him as an excuse because you're too scared of letting another woman close to you. You refuse to take any risk."

"I did let a woman close to me! She's practically engaged or didn't you notice?"  
  


"I noticed, but you have to have someone, Thad. I know you love Penny, and I know she loves you too, but…you gave her up. You were being noble and doing the right thing by not making her chose between the two men she loves. That shows how much you love her…and I know she would want you to be happy as well." Mira pressed her hand against his cheek. "I know it hurts. I've felt it from you all day, but you can't avoid the rest of the female population. You can't avoid her tonight. She's been watching you, like you have her. It's probably hurting her that you won't at least say something to her. I know the setting doesn't make it easier, but you should say hello to her."

The touch on his cheek made his expression soften. He leaned into her hand. "I'm sorry that I'm not being very good company, Mira. And I know I should say hello to her, but it's very hard to watch her with him, especially in this kind of setting." His eyes went over to Miles and Cristal dancing. The married couple looked content and happy, resting their foreheads against each other's. He shifted his son in his arms and looked over at Penny again. She was dancing with Anthony. She looked pretty tonight in a soft emerald dress that befit the Christmas season and intensified the green of her eyes. He looked down at Mira again and turned his head, kissing her palm. "I'll go over to her when the song is done."

Mira smiled and leaned up, pressing a kiss on his cheek. "Good. I'm proud of you."

******************************************************************************

Penny watched the scene between Thad and her cousin. They looked like a perfectly matched couple. A rush of jealousy washed through her. It made her blink in surprise. She turned her eyes away. _"I have no right to be jealous. He isn't mine. Mira would make a good girlfriend for him. She compliments him. I have Anthony. I made my choice long ago." _ The song soon ended and she found herself being led over to the object of her thoughts. "Anthony, what are you doing?"

"Saying hello to Thad of course. You haven't spoken to him this entire evening. And you must miss talking to him since I've monopolized your time this past week," he replied, grinning engagingly and squeezed her hand. 

Nodding mutely, she let herself be led. This time she looked up and found ice blue eyes on her. Two pairs. Father and son. Forgetting her uneasiness, she smiled at Dylan. "Hello, Thad. Mira. And don't you look handsome tonight, Dylan?"

Dylan immediately held out his arms to her and smiled broadly. 

He noticed her eyes barely made contact with his before he placed his son in her arms. "It's nice to see you again, Anthony," replied Thad, shaking the other man's hand. He looked at Penny. "You look pretty tonight, Penny."

She looked up from the child in her arms. Thad's eyes told her what he was really thinking. She flushed. "Thank you, Thad," she replied softly. She returned her attention to the boy in her arms. 

Thad let his eyes fall away from the picture they presented. Dylan looked happy to be in her arms. It was exactly where he wanted to be too. He mentally kicked himself for being jealous of his own son before returning his attention to Anthony and Mira. 

"I think you should ask Bella, to dance."

Thad nearly choked on the glass of champagne he had just picked up. He looked at Anthony incredulously. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She had momentarily stopped fussing over his son, her luminous eyes widening with surprise. "I don't dance."

"You've danced with Mira here. And your mother. And sister. Would it hurt to dance with Bella too?" Anthony asked, grinning slightly. "I won't tell anyone that you danced with another woman."

Swallowing, Thad shook his head. "She's your girlfriend. You haven't seen her in months."

"I know that, but dancing with you, I think would make her feel better. She's been distracted the past few days. I think she misses your company."

That statement almost made Mira cough as well. Her eyes went to Thad. "It wouldn't hurt, would it? And he is insisting, after all."

Thad's eyes went to Penny. Her gaze was wary. He looked back at Anthony. "I just wouldn't feel…"

"I insist. Bella, you think you can get him out on the floor?"

Her eyes skittered away from Thad's and glanced back down at the little boy in her arms. He was looking up at her with his father's eyes. "Anthony, we really shouldn't push him to do it, if he doesn't want to. Besides, I have Dylan in my arms."

"Mira can take him."

Penny's head snapped up at Thad's voice. "Thad, I thought…"

"It can't hurt, besides, he is insisting. One dance won't kill me I suppose."

Anthony grinned. "Good. I'm glad I was so persuasive."

Mira sighed as she took Dylan from Penny's arms. She felt her cousin's alarm as her hand brushed against her arm. She looked back at Thad, who was keeping his face impassive. "Don't step on her toes, Thad," she teased quietly, earning a slight glare from him as he took Penny's hand and led her out to the dance floor. She looked over at Anthony, who was smiling. She let out another small sigh. "So, Anthony, what are you planning to do once you graduate?"

******************************************************************************

Penny didn't dare look up at him as she felt his hand rest lightly on her back. The song was slow, so she had no choice but to be close to him. He was loosely holding her other hand, his thumb absently rubbing across her knuckles. It made her skin tingle all over. "Why?" she asked softly. 

Thad glanced down at her. "Because if I didn't, it would give rise to questions I'm sure you wouldn't want to answer, Penny. It was better to go along with it, rather than keep on refusing." He fell silent then, when she didn't say anything. "But it got me what I wanted."

She still refused to look up at him. "And that is?"

"A dance with one of the most beautiful women in the room."  
  


Her eyes shot up to his face. There was a tender look in his eyes. "Thad?"

"Yes?"

"I wanted to dance with you too."

Smiling a little, he held her a little closer. 

She looked away, smiling a little too. "I guess we both got what we wanted then, didn't we?"

"Not quite."

Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked back up at him. His eyes were looking at her intently, causing a tide of heat to rise up her neck and bloom in her cheeks. "Don't look at me like that."  
  


"Like what?"  
  


"Like…like how you are right now…Thad, please, other people might notice."

"For once I don't give a damn."

His words caused her lips to part in shock. His touch had grown as possessive as his gaze. And even though it was wrong, it thrilled her. Her heart was pounding hard against her ribs as he continued to look into her eyes. It was getting difficult to breathe. Her eyes darted towards Anthony, who seemed to be in deep discussion with Mira at one of the tables that surrounded the dance floor. Her eyes went back to Thad, who was still watching her. The color in her cheeks intensified. "You have to stop looking at me like that, Thad. People will talk," she protested weakly. 

"How am I looking at you?"  
  


"Like you…like you want to…um…"

"Kiss you."

Penny nodded her head. 

Thad bent his head closer to hers, his chin resting against her temple. The smell of her was intoxicating. "I do want to kiss you. And you want to kiss me. But we won't, will we? I know this is hard for you…its hard to me too. I want to be the one who gets to kiss you every day of your life, to hold you, to touch you, but I gave that up. For you. I would give an eternity, just to have you in my life forever."

Tears immediately began to fill her eyes. Her heart was twisted into thousands of knots. 

"Damn, I made you cry, didn't I," he said as he quickly glanced around before leading her off the floor to the nearby atrium. He shut the door behind him. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. "Don't cry. I'm sorry."

Sniffling a little, she took it and dabbed the tears just beginning to spill over. "No. It's all right. Weddings get me off hinge to begin with."

"So, it wasn't all me."

"No. Not all you," she replied with a watery smile. 

He reached up and touched her cheek with his fingertips. "I'm still sorry though."

She unconsciously leaned against his hand. "You don't have to be."

Another smile quirked the corner of his mouth. He let his fingers trail over the smooth skin of her cheek before tracing her jaw line. 

Penny didn't move as he touched her. It felt so gentle. So caring. So like him. She watched as his eyes watched his fingers. Every cell in her body was jumping from the contact, but she didn't want to pull away. She loved him so much. She wanted just this moment with him. Alone. 

He caught the look in her eyes. "Penny, don't look at me like that."  
  


She blinked. "Like what?"

"Like you want me to kiss you."

Heat filled her cheeks again. "What's stopping you?" she blurted out, then mentally smacked herself for saying them. 

Surprised by her words, he took a step closer. "Do you mean that?"

She looked up at him. His fingers were trailing down along her neck, curling around it. "N…no. I don't…" She was cut off when his mouth covered hers. Warmth flowed through her as his lips moved softly over hers. 

She tasted like champagne. And strawberries. Thad kept the kiss light. His fingers strummed the back of her neck while the other one settled on her back, gently moving over the spot where her tattoo was. It took all his willpower not to pull her completely into his arms. "Tell me to stop," he whispered against her mouth. 

"…Stop…" she breathed. Her lips were tingling. 

"You're…not convincing…. me…"

"…Thad…please…"

"I like it…when you say my name…like that…"

His words made her feel hot all over. His tongue was brushing against her lower lip. Her heart was racing. 

_"You have to stop. You have to. Remove your hands and your mouth from her," _his conscious snapped at him. But he didn't want to, didn't want to let her go. But he had to. For her. But before he had to, he wanted to really and truly kiss her. He pulled her into his arms.

A startled whimper escaped from her throat as his tongue slid completely into her mouth and his arms tightened around her. Her hands crept hesitantly up his arms before she wrapped her arms securely around his neck. She kissed him back, showing him how she felt. 

He wanted to remember this. To remember exactly what he was giving up. It would be torture to keep this in his memories, but it would be the one moment he would never want to forget. All her sweetness, all her innocence, everything. Finally, he lifted his mouth from hers and looked down into her appealing face. Her green eyes had a dazed look in them. A slight smile touched his lips. 

Penny lifted her eyes to his. He was smiling, albeit sadly. "Why?" she whispered. 

"Because…I want to remember everything about you. From the way that you laugh and sing, to the way you respond when you're in my arms, to how soft your lips are. I want to remember everything about the woman I…"

She pressed her fingers against his lips to keep him from saying more. Shaking her head, she gave him a rueful smile. "Don't say it. It's better that you don't…it'll be easier if you don't," she said her eyes filling with tears again. 

"Ok, but don't cry," he replied as he brushed her tears away with his fingers. "But you know I do."

"I know. I know how you feel. I feel the same way, but it's better that its left unsaid. We just weren't meant to be."  
  


"I wish it didn't have to be."

"I wish that too."  
  


"But you know, I can live with it. I'll be all right. If I know you're happy, you'll be fine. You have someone that loves you that you love in return. You're heart isn't yours to give when it already belongs to someone else and when he's already given his to you."  
  


She looked up at him. His words were quiet and controlled. Very poignant. It made her want to cry again. "And you're all right, with…this?"

"I have to be. Because of how I feel about you, here," he said as he pressed her hand over his heart, "I'm willing to sacrifice my happiness for yours. I'm all right because it's the right thing to do. There are a lot of things we do in life that we don't like, but they're necessary. They're the "right" things to do. I don't like it, but I'm willing to do it."

The steady beat of his heart pounded against her palm. "Oh, Thad. I would like it if you were happy too."

He pressed his forehead against hers. "I'm ok. I have Dylan. I have all I need to be happy. I gave my heart to you. You'll keep it safe. And that's enough for me."

She closed her eyes as well, enjoying his closeness. 

"I thought I might find you two here."

They sprang apart, only to find a pair of cobalt eyes watching them. "Maxwell, I swear…" 

Chris rolled his eyes. "You're lucky it was me." He turned his eyes towards Penny. You're boyfriend is looking for you, sweetheart."

Penny flushed under his smirking gaze. She looked back at Thad. "I'm a mess, he'll know that…"

"Shh…it's all right, sweetheart, I managed to snitch my wife's bag for you," said Chris as he handed her Victoria's purse. "There's a compact in there with a mirror."

A grateful smile crossed her lips as she took it from him. She turned her back on the two men as she repaired herself. Once she finished she handed the bag back and turned to Thad. "Your handkerchief."

Thad took it from her and looked deep into her green eyes. "Go on. He's looking for you, Penny."

She nodded her head and gave him a tremulous smile. "Thank you, Chris," she said quietly before she left them alone. 

"Anytime, sweetheart," Chris said as he watched her leave. He turned his eyes towards Thad. "That was brave of you."

"Shut up."

"Touchy, aren't we?"

"You're not helping."

"But it was foolish of you too."

"I know."

"You're lucky it was me who came in here. Vaughn was looking for her…and just because he doesn't see things, doesn't mean he won't feel them. He would've beaten the shit out of you. Again."

"I know that too."

Chris laced his fingers behind his head. "But I do admire your guts. Kissing her when her fiancée is in the next room…"  
  


Thad shot the other man an icy glare. "It's not something to be commended, you ass."

"It shouldn't be…no, but you were kissing her and you knew she wouldn't stop you. Penny looked well kissed and then some."

"Do you have a point, Maxwell?"

Chris shook his head, unfazed by the glare being sent in his direction. "No, there's no point. And I'm sure you don't want to hear how noble you're being. I heard the last part of your little speech." He continued to ignore the look Thad was sending him. "You're being very noble indeed."

"I don't need to hear it. I don't want to hear it."

"If you don't want to hear it, why did you let her go?"

Surprised by the serious question, he turned his eyes away and let them fall to the ground. "Because…I don't want her to chose. I don't want to be the reason she cries. If I give her up and tell her I'm all right, she won't cry."

Chris let a true smile cross his face. "A woman's tears always have an odd effect on a man. It's because we don't know what to do to stop them. You must really love her to stem her tears and tell her to go into the arms of someone else."

"Yeah, I love her," sighed Thad. "But I don't want to be told I'm being noble because of it."

"But that's what it is, isn't it? What you're doing is being chivalrous. You can't help being that way. It's just that's the way you are."

"For being a pain in the ass, Maxwell, you actually sound intelligent for once."

Shrugging, Chris let his hands fall to his sides. "What can I say, Victoria's personality has rubbed off on me. However, I'm probably always going to be the "pain in the ass Maxwell."

"Yes, you probably will be," he said as they walked back into the ballroom. His eyes fell on Penny who was being hugged tightly by her future fiancé. It felt like his heart was being ripped out, but he gritted his teeth. He would get through it. He would have to. 

The younger man eyed his wife's cousin as they stood against the wall. He shook his head, wondering where Thad got the strength to do what he was. But Victoria had said to him, it was her cousin's way. He was a Peacecraft. It was THEIR way. Cobalt eyes fell on Penny. They traveled over her expertly before looking at the other man out of the corner of his eye. "To give that up, Thad is fucking insane," he muttered so his wife's cousin wouldn't hear him. 

******************************************************************************

Penny held onto Anthony as they slow danced. The backs of her eyes were burning with unshed tears, but she had promised him she wouldn't cry. Her hands clutched the back of his jacket. 

"Are you all right, Bella?"  
  


Her eyes fell on Thad standing with Chris. Her heart was beginning to break. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Yes, I'm fine. Just don't let me go."

"Never," Anthony whispered as he kissed her temple. 

******************************************************************************

Thad heard what Chris had said. _"And who am I to disagree. I am fucking insane. I just gave up the woman I love."_

_A/N: I know it's been awhile, but here it is! Stay tuned for the next part of "Secrets," coming your way soon! XOXO!!_


End file.
